Full Circle
by drakos4
Summary: To quote Gandalf: "often one sets out on a quest with less than is required to bring it to a successful end. Those missing pieces often present themselves along the way. If you take the shortest route from one point to another you may never come across something vital to you and your undertaking." But getting killed(or almost)still seems to be the fastest way to get to ME.
1. Chapter 1

\- 1 -

"Actors do not date stunt girls! Actors do not date stunt girls! Actors do NOT date stunt girls!"

From my current location high up the steep wall of rock I had a good view over the crew assembled fifty meters below in the small clearing. While I awaited the directors shout for "action" my eyes unfailingly found HIM. He was in full costume and engaged in discussion with a script girl, pointing here and there and my heart skipped it's usual beat at the sight of him. His dark hair, dark eyes, and always present smile that seemed to light up every room.

"Actors do not date stunt girls!" did I repeat what had become my mantra over the last few weeks, "And I sure hope they don't date script girls either," I added for good measure while I kept observing the scene below.

We had spoken occasionally, even found ourselves at the same table in a local pub not a week ago and he had flashed me a few of his heartbreaking smiles that set my fantasies in motion and my heart on fire but I had been in this business long enough to know: actors do not date stunt girls.

With a heavy sigh I tried to focus my mind on the task set before me. I would have to come down that high rise wall of rock like an elf; fast, fearless and with obvious ease and grace. Secured by a rope from the top that was not all too difficult but fifty meters were still fifty meters, vertically, and some concentration seemed to be called for.

Now the director was calling for us to get ready. I checked with my four colleagues hanging from ropes in spots not far from me. They all showed their thumbs up. We were good to go.

"Action!" came the command and we started our descend down the rocky surface. All went well and it was actual fun to sprint down the mountain like an olympic champion when maybe 20 meters above ground I suddenly felt no more pull from the rope attached to my belt. The only thing I managed to think was a very profane 'SHIT!' before training set in and I tried to fall in a way that provided greatest possibility of least damage then I crashed onto the safety mat and all went black.

Sunlight stung my eyes even through closed lids when I woke up. After a very short peek I shut them again and wondered. I wondered a lot. Firstly what I was doing lying in a field? What field? How I got there and why I – who was I? At that point a slight panic set in. Clutching at the grass I was lying on I desperately searched my mind for clues. The one sure thing I came up with was that I indeed existed, if only for the pain in my whole body. I testily opened my eyes again and tried to sit up but even lifting my head proved to be too painful and with a groan I sank back into the grass. This was not good. This was SO not good.

Had I had an accident? Had I been attacked? Robbed? Raped?! Frantically my hands searched over my body. I seemed to be fully dressed, thank the lord for small favours. But what had happened?

I wasn't too sure about the state my body was in. Slowly flexing every muscle and feeling my limbs I found some comfort in the fact that I could not detect any broken bones. Again I made an effort to move and after what felt like forever rolled onto my left side and rested my head on my arm. A sob escaped my throat and panic threatened to take over when I heard voices not far away. "Help!" I cried, "I am over here! Help!" Someone was running towards me. Through my tears I could only make out two blurry shapes, heavily clad in all sorts of clothing and burdened with bags and stuff. "Let them be the good guys!" I silently prayed and passed out again.

When I woke the next time it was to the sound of a quiet conversation. Night had fallen over the land and two men were sitting around a fire, one stirring a pot with dubious content, the other rummaging through a bundle of cloth at his feet. I remembered the last time I had come to, the sun in my eyes, the grass underneath, the pain, all else was still blank. At least I was not alone anymore and even though my companions had neglected to get me to a hospital or doctor, they had helped and not harmed me and that would have to do for the time being. For a change, I liked having the small amount of good news.

I made to sit up and regretted it instantly. A terrible pain in my chest advised me to take it very very slowly.

My cry alerted the two figures at the fire. "Lay still!" a sympathetic voice said close to my ear and it's owner gently pushed my shoulders back onto the makeshift bed they had settled me on. With the pain subsiding I opened my eyes and stared into a young face with dark, warm eyes, framed by an unruly mane of black hair. A face that looked oddly familiar, like I'd seen him in a dream. I frowned and turned to the second man who had gotten up and looked down on me. That one was blond and sported even more hair on his head and face with braids and beads worked into it. Again part of me felt like meeting an old acquaintance. My frown deepened as I saw that they did NOT seem to feel the same way, "Do I know you?"

They exchanged a glance and then shrugged. "Do you know me?" I tried again. This time both of them shook their heads in unison. "Damn," I squeezed my eyes shut to fight back the tears of frustration that had started to come. This wasn't going well.

"Can you help me sit up, please?"

"You really should lay still," repeated the dark haired man kneeling next to me, his dark eyes looking over me with some compassion.

"No, please, I need to get up. It's probably just a few broken ribs, not much to do about that." I stretched out my right arm and he took my hand.

"Fili, help me!" he called over his shoulder seeing the pain I was in just by moving my right arm.

"Fili, Fili", I mumbled then stifled a cry when they both pulled me into sitting position. It still hurt but I found it was bearable and I'd had enough of lying around like a log. I also appreciated being closer to the fire because the night was chilly and I only wore some sort of grey jumpsuit with green dots attached to it. I inspected the strange attire with disbelieve and pulled at one of the green dots. It came of with a little "ritch" sound. "Velcro", I said to myself and pondered the fact that I knew what velcro was but not my own name.

My two rescuers had taken up their previous spot around the fire and carried on with their tasks. Their lack of curiosity surprised me. No one asked me anything. Well, fine with me, since I had no answers anyway. All the more time for me to give the two a good look over. Maybe because of the ridiculous amount of clothing they were both wearing and the fact that I had been flat on my back I had not noticed before that both were oddly short. With all the leather and heavy footwear they could have been members of a motorcycle gang or a heavy metal group, well miniature members anyway. Definitely not the sort of camping style folk I was used to. Was I used to camping style folk? I had no idea. Shaking my still woozy head I decided to let it go for the moment.

"Food's done," declared the one named Fili and with a happy grin ladled some broth and bits into a wooden (wooden?!) bowl that he handed to me. "Ladies first!"

I moved to take the bowl but my chest refused to cooperate. Pressing one hand to my left side, I managed to take the bowl with my right and set it in front of me. The bowl was indeed wooden, as was the spoon I was given. And I was obviously the only one around the fire to think that strange.

Unlike the men next to me I had lost the little appetite I had had to begin with. They devoured their share in a hearty manner and only after they had finished noticed that mine still sat there, untouched.

A dark head turned to a blonde in an accusing manner. "I told you not to throw the whiskers in!"

Blonde, Fili, was less than sorry, he simply shrugged and grabbed some more broth. "They do add a lot of flavour but what do you know of cooking, man!"

'Whiskers?' What exactly had they been eating? "I am sorry," I murmured, "I am sure it's very tasty but I can't...I just...I..." I did not know what to say, my tongue was tying itself into one giant knot.

"What is it lass? Want to tell us what happened to you?" Dark hair asked softly.

I stared into his chocolate coloured eyes for a couple of seconds then raised my arms helplessly and let them fall back at my sides, hanging my head. "I haven't got the faintest idea," I admitted and filled them in on what little I knew and all the things I did not know. The second part taking considerably more time to tell. They didn't question anything I said, they simply nodded, taking in the information.

They sat in silence until I finished. "So you don't know who you are, where you are from and why you are wearing nothing but undergarments?" Fili summarized and eyed me a little doubtful.

"Undergarments?" Dark hair came to life as he heard Fili's words, as if he remembered he had to do something rather important, "Oh, here is something for you to wear!" With that he reached into the pile of cloth he had handled before and came up with sort of a tunic. "It's not much but it is almost clean," he piped with an apologetic smile that triggered something in my confused head but did not come to any results. The tunic felt heavy in my hands, solid and warm and I accepted it gratefully. He helped me pulling it over my head and arms and it came down to just above my hips and was a bit short at the wrists but it warmed me instantly. Fili added a sleeveless vest to my new outfit and all of a sudden I seemed to fit in a lot better. My ankle high trainers could not compete with their impressive footwear but an improvement had definitely been made.

"Thank you guys. Thank you so much for your help. If you show me the way to the nearest town in the morning I'll be on my way to find a hospital or doctor who knows a thing or two about amnesia and if you give me your addresses, I will send your things back. Clean and all," I shyly glanced at the man to my right. He did not react to my weak attempt at humour but cocked his head a little and gave me a puzzled look. We just sat there for a moment, staring at each other with eyes eager for something. Mine information. His, well, I actually couldn't tell what he was eager for.

Fili cleared is throat and ended the awkwardness. "I don't know anything about amnesia or a place called hospital but the nearest settlement is where we are headed anyway. We should reach it in a day or two. There we will meet with a great wizard. If anybody is able to help you, it is him. Don't you worry!" It was my turn to look puzzled. 'A wizard? A place called hospital? Could my situation become any weirder?'

"Where are we? Who are you? What do you do? Why do you cook something with whiskers and eat it from wooden bowls with wooden spoons? " Maybe some answers from their side would shed some light on the whole bloody mess.

Dark hair sprang to his feet in one fluid motion. "My apologies, lady, my name is Kili and that oaf over there is my brother Fili. At your service." Both bowed in my direction.

Right, not much help there. Settling himself again next to me, dark haired Kili continued. "We are in a part of Middle-earth called the shire. It is the domain of the hobbits. The halflings or little people, as some call them."

Ok, now we were going somewhere, even if it was places and names I had no recollection of. "So you two are hobbits then! Or halflings, or little people!" I was proud of having finally figured something out.

The looks I received for voicing my conclusion could have turned a less confused person to stone.

"We are no hobbits!" yelled Fili, gravely insulted.

"There is nothing half about me, or little!" cried Kili, deeply wounded. I raised my hands once more, this time in defeat.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry but you said this is the Shire where little people live and seeing that you are not exactly tall..." I drew out the word so they understood my mistake.

"Of course we are not tall," shouted both in a small fit of laughter, "We are dwarfs!"

Two pairs of eyes were expectantly on me, yet I disappointed again. Somehow that piece of news could not shock me anymore. "Sure, dwarfs, of course. Go on, tell me more!" At that prompt I was given what must have been the better part of dwarven history but after the third or fourth clan pedigree I tuned out. "Dwarfs, halflings, wizards and food with whiskers in wooden bowls," I silently pondered.

Maybe it was all perfectly normal and I was the crazy one. How could I be sure with my memory more than slightly impaired. Or perhaps it was all just a very strange dream and I would wake up in the morning with only a faint recollection of it. I felt my eyelids growing heavy and made to lay down. Capable hands came to my aid and to the continued story telling of my new friends I drifted off to sleep, but a part of me wanted to stay awake just to see if something else would come.

The last thing I heard was Kili chiding his brother: "There, you bored her to sleep!"

Shivering from the cool air woke in the dark. The fire had burned down and I could just make out a still body at arms length, under the comfort of a thick woolen coat. Not thinking much but craving some warmth, I inched over, lifted the edge of the cover and crawled in, rejoicing in the heat that radiated from the body behind me. "Short they may be, but hot blooded by all means," I thought falling back to sleep.

Morning came and I woke once more, still under the coat but alone. It's owner was busy packing his things, his brother was nowhere in sight. I stared at the arsenal of weapons in a pile at Kili's feet. 'Right, not a dream then.' Not that I would mind…I spent a few minutes watching him, while checking through my brains for any memory bits that could have appeared over night but drew a complete blank. It was more fun to watch Kili, really, doing and undoing his bundles. Packing obviously was none of his fortes. I laughed quietly to myself, or at least that was the plan but broken ribs don't forgive humour. The pain reminded me that some medical attention was likely to be a good idea and my cry alerted Kili to the fact that the damsel in distress had awoken. He abandoned what he had been doing and was next to in the blink of an eye.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked in a way of greeting, brown eyes scanning my face in an inquiring manner, I swear I caught a glimpse of worry in his eyes.

"Much the same as yesterday, thank you," a dry but honest reply. Pulling a face I reached for him, he looked at me with concern still, like he didn't want me to get up or something, "Help me up, please!' He carefully pulled me up. Folding my legs under me I shook of the vest. "Do you have anything to bind my ribs with?" I could practically see the question marks dance across his forehead. "A bandage, any length of cloth that I use to support the ribs." He sat back on his hunches and hummed to himself, mentally going through his possessions I assumed, then got up and dug around in his brothers large satchel. With a grin he came back and showed me something that resembled brown tights. Fili's underwear? Or did he hide a kinky streak? I did not dare ask, fearful that Fili would be in earshot.

"I guess it will have to do," with that I lifted the tunic and my own top with the green dots (in all honesty I really wasn't the right one to judge other people's style of dressing) and exposed a good portion of skin to the the fresh morning air and Kili's perplexed stare. His eyes grew big and he simply sat there enjoying the view, or so I thought. Then he let out a small whistle.

"Oh, come on," I growled, "You must have seen that sort of thing before!" He grinned and came closer.

"I have indeed. But never in such a brightly coloured fashion!" Bending towards me, he touched his fingers ever so lightly to the skin under my left breast, making me go slightly stiff at the tiny bit of pleasure, "You must have been hit real hard or you fell badly." I tried to glimpse at the described artwork but could not bend in that way and gave up. "Guess I have to trust you on this. If there are no bones peeking through just bind it!"

He tried to be gentle, I have to give him that. When he put his arms around me to get the makeshift bandage behind my back, I got a nose full of the scent I remembered from last night, when I had snuggled up to him. A strong, wild but far from unpleasant mixture of sweat, smoke, musk, moss and forest and it did nothing to calm me down but it distracted me momentarily from the inevitable pain that I was about to experience when he'd pull the bandage tight. "Exhale!" he ordered and I did, bracing myself but I could not hold back a scream when he pulled and quickly knotted the ends of whatever it was together. His face was only a hair's breadth from mine and I could not help thinking that it would be the easiest thing to loose myself in those brown eyes. "There," he said and lowered my hands which still clutched at my clothes in an iron grip. He uncurled my fingers and folded them in my lap. "And it's almost clean, too," he added with a wink. Still not breaking eye contact he sat back again. "You are a very brave lady." I struggled to come up with a not too witless reply but was saved by Fili, who choose this very moment to enter the scene, holding a large cup filled to the brim with berries and nuts.

"Breakfast anyone?" He boomed and broke the spell.

My stomach answered Fili's rhetorical question with a growl loud enough to scare away every small animal in the nearby bushes and trees and reminded me vehemently of the fact that I had skipped last night's whiskery dinner. Both men found my involuntary admission of being hungry immensely amusing.

Conversation was light during breakfast. Afterwards the brothers collected their things, bundles, bags and weapons arsenal and we started our day's march towards the "nearest settlement", a place called Hobbiton, and our meeting with the "great wizard" who was supposed to help me find my memories.

If I still harboured second thoughts on that prospect they were quickly quenched by the alternative: staggering through those lands on my own.

When I stood fully upright the first time since they had found me, the difference in height between the brothers and me became all too evident. I was at least a head taller than both but they did not seem to think any of it so I bit back a comment and started after them.

It quickly became clear that I would slow them down. I tried best as I could to keep up and live up to Kili's earlier impression of me being brave but every step sent a flash of pain through my body and by midday I stumbled along more than I walked, I looked like a drunk after new years, lord help me.

They did not say it but I knew they only stopped to let me rest. Both men looked as if they could have gone on until nightfall and at a much faster pace but politely pretended to need a break as badly as my teeth needed brushing. Whatever, I was more than happy to sit down with my back against a rock and closed my eyes. I dozed but did not sleep so I overheard parts of their hushed discussion. "She cannot keep up, it's too far."

"We have to be there the day after tomorrow, the latest!" "Uncle will not be pleased."

"You go ahead and come back with help!"

At that I had to intervene. "No!" They looked like little boys who got caught with their father's Playboy collection. "You two go on!" I urged them. "Just leave me here. Go and send me an ambulance. Or even a helicopter! I will be fine here!" I said with as much confidence as I could muster only to be utterly ignored. Fili already had his bags up, smiled warmly at me and clapped his brother on the shoulder before he turned and was gone down the trail.

Kili watched him go then came to sit next to me. "Don't confuse bravery with stupidity, lady" he said only half jokingly.

I let my head sink back to rest on the rock behind me. "You have to stop calling me Lady," I told him, "or brave."

"Then what should I call you? Stupid?" he asked innocently. At which I laughed, then cried out in pain, then cursed him and all that was funny. "Forgive me," he sounded truly sorry. "Sometimes I am thoughtless. Here!" He handed me a baggy container made from leather that held water. I had already learned that dwarfish travel gear does not include cups and took the floppy thing. The water tasted cold and revived me some. I really liked sitting next to him, I did not feel so terribly big then.

"Say," I began, albeit with little hope, "do you know what electricity is? That thing that produces heat and light without fire?" Raised eyebrows were what I got as an answer. "Cars? Like carriages without horses to pull them?" Lips pressed together, he shook his head and sent his black mane flying.

"I don't know where you are coming from but it must be a strange and wonder-some world indeed," he said thoughtfully, "maybe I will see it one day."

"Maybe," I echoed and wondered if I ever would.

"Are you well enough to move on?" I could see that he was anxious get going so I nodded and with his help scrambled to my feet. He grabbed his bags and pouches again. I was still amazed at the amount of stuff he was carrying with him. "Why do you have so many weapons? " He snorted.

"This is but half of what Fili is armed with, he has enough knives on him to outfit a small town. Me, I prefer my bow."

"But what for? What are you afraid of?" I received one of those funny looks. "Afraid? I am not afraid of anything. But one simply does not walk around middle earth without weapons. These are dark times. You can't fight orcs with bare hands. At least not longer than it takes to say "orc". "

Orcs. "What are orcs?" He suddenly became very serious.

"Let's hope you never find out," he stated grimly and led the way towards the rounded hills we could see in the distance.

We kept marching slowly but steadily until the sun began to set behind us. Talk we did not and I was totally ok with that. I had enough to think about and take care not to stumble over roots and rocks.

On the edge of a young forest we made camp. Kili gathered some wood and started a fire. "I have to hunt," he almost looked pained to say the words as he looked at me with worry. "Will you be alright?" Supporting my back against a tree I slid down and sat next to the fire.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I answered lightly and shooed him away. "Only one thing: if you could find something that does not have whiskers?"

"As my lady commands!" he left with a smile but came back not a minute later to crouch down in front of me, holding a knife. "Here, take this." When I hesitated he insisted, "I will feel all the better if I knew you have it." Reluctantly I took the knife from him. He sprang up and vanished between the trees. I weighed the knife in my hand. It did not look as out of place there as I had thought it would. Holding it with more strength I turned my wrist from one side to the other and it felt almost natural to point it at something. Before I even knew what I was about to do, I had aimed at a tree and thrown the knife at it. With a satisfying "tock" it struck home and stuck in the wood.

"Wow," I breathed and was rather impressed with myself. Until I realized that I had to get it back before Kili's return. I was quite sure that he would not appreciate the fact that I had simply thrown my only means of defense away. Cussing and cursing I managed to get up and retrieve the small but nicely crafted dagger. It had all sorts of signs engraved at the hilt and the blade was shiny and sharp. I let my finger run over it and even without applying any pressure drew blood. Sucking at my thumb I returned to my original spot. Still eying my earlier target I wondered if it was just beginners luck that had made me hit it. I aimed again and threw. Sure as day light the morning I hit the mark. After the fifth time I could not deny it anymore. I was quite skilled with a knife. Now that was somewhat unexpected. How on earth had I acquired such a talent? And what for?

Just then I heard a noise coming from the trees. Kili broke through the low branches with a proud grin on his face and a large bird in his outstretched hand. "No whiskers, as ordered!"

"That's great," I told him absentmindedly, still thinking about my resent discovery. He lost the smile when he realized I was standing there with the knife in my hand.

"What is it? What's wrong?" He scanned the area and reached for his sword. I waved him off letting him let go of his swords hilt and look at me with some confusion.

"Nothing's wrong there but look!" I threw the knife once more and caused the innocent tree another cut. Kili almost dropped the bird in shock. Then went to get his knife, threw it in the air and caught it again.

He handed me the bird, untied a small leather sheath from his left wrist, slid the knife in and gave it to me in exchange for his prey. "Looks like you can be trusted with this." For some reason it made me very proud to hear him say that. I tied the sheath to my own hand, where it flopped around uncontrollably. I showed him. He shrugged, already busy plucking the bird and littering our campsite with feathers, some of which settled in his hair. "I'll fix it for you while this is roasting." But by the time he was done and pieces of fowl had been pierced on sticks to be placed over the fire I had found another solution for my blade's sheath. The leather strap had just been long enough to tie it around my thigh. Now the blade rested against my leg and it felt good there.

After a surprisingly tasty dinner of roast and water night was upon us. The only light came from the small fire. "We should get to sleep now. There is another day's march ahead of us tomorrow. With a little luck Fili will be meeting us in the evening." I nodded, wondering who he would bring with him. "Do you want me to redo your bandage?" I had been pulling and towing at it unconsciously for a while.

"Yes, it's too loose now," I sighed, not being keen on the torturous pain but sensibly accepting it though. I lifted my clothes and he kneeled next to me. Carefully undoing the knots and allowing me a few moments to breath freely. "How's it look now?" I could tell from his frown that it wasn't all too pretty.

"Hmm, you won't stop before you have completed a whole rainbow, me thinks." He leaned in and placed the bandage over my ribcage again. "Ready?" His eyes where dark with sympathy and I swallowed heavily.

"Ready," I whispered and he pulled. I managed to stifle a scream and moaned through my teeth. He tied me up and smiled encouragingly.

"See, that wasn't so bad." I straightened my clothes, him still being right in front of me.

"No, that wasn't so bad," I agreed and held him back when he made to stand up. He looked at me questioningly. "Wait a second," I murmured and plucked a few downy feathers from his head. The last one wasn't even there, I just wanted to touch him once more before I let him go. He had his back to the fire and the shock of black hair cast even more shadows over his face. It was impossible to read his expression but his dark eyes seemed to sparkle like the stars. Or maybe it was just exhaustion that played tricks on my senses.

"Let's go to sleep," I said dreamily and he drew back. Using bags as pillows we settled down. I could only lie on my right side. He stretched out behind me and threw his coat over both of us.

"I seem to recall you preferred that last night," he almost whispered, his hot sweet breath trailing down my neck in a tingly sensation.

"Yes, I do prefer that indeed," I whispered back and drifted off into a comforting dream. When I stirred later that night and rolled onto my back to be more comfortable, I found myself nose to nose with a sleeping dwarf, he looked so calm and gentle making my heart skip a beat before sleep claimed me again.


	2. Chapter 2

\- 2 -

The pale light of dawn was claiming the sky when the happy tweeting of birds ruined my perfect dream of sleeping in the arms of a somewhat exotic but terribly handsome man with long dark hair, a large collection of medieval weapons and the most amazing brown eyes and brought me back to the harsh reality of...sleeping in the arms of a somewhat exotic but terribly handsome man. Weapons and all the rest also checked out. I blinked. No, my memory still didn't. Nothing there.

Time to deal with what was here. For instance long strands of hair that wasn't mine all over my face. Careful not to disturb him I brushed it away and studied his features. Long, thick eyelashes under charmingly arched brows, well defined cheekbones, a narrow and a little pointed nose, a determined chin covered in dark brown stubble that framed soft looking, sensual lips. Suddenly I longed to touch that mouth. Preferably with mine.

Maybe if I was really, really, really careful I could do so without him waking up? Just the tiniest turn of head would land my lips right on his. Butterflies started to flutter in my stomach as I made my move without closing my eyes. Softer than a summer breeze did I place a kiss and when I began to believe I could just get away with it, his eyes flew open.

For a few breathless moments we stared at each other, frozen in shock I, immobilized by surprise he. Then he moved those precious millimeters closer and the butterflies in my gut spun in whirlwind style, higher, faster, further. His lips were as soft as I had imagined and his hair caressed my face in the most delicious fashion. He tasted all sweet and exciting, no little feat considering the lack of dental hygiene that seemed to be the rule in these woods. My hands sank into his dark mob of hair and pulled him closer. After the first tentative caress of his tongue that sent sent a rush of heat through my body, Kili propped himself up on one elbow and looked down on me. He was breathing fast and it was all I could do to reach up and pull him back down again, for a more thorough exploration of his mouth. I did not remember any kisses of my past but I had the distinct feeling that this ranked very high up in the chart list. The little sexy moans he made indicated that I was not the only one finding pleasure in our early morning exercise.

Fingers were sneaking their way up to my belly and I yelped at the touch. My nerve endings seemed to be on fire. He broke the kiss and looked guilty.

"Did I cause you pain?"

"No!" I exclaimed, not wanting to loose contact, "No, quite the opposite", I assured Kili who was still doubtful. "The butterflies are going crazy, you, see!"

"Where do you see butterflies?" he glanced at the air around us, clearly seeing no butterflies.

"The butterflies in my stomach," I chuckled.

"You have butterflies in your stomach?" He still didn't get it.

"It's just an expression, silly!" His smile was enough to melt both poles. Resting his forehead against mine and rubbing the tip of my nose with his, Kili looked deep into my eyes.

"I do not understand what you are or what you are saying, love, but if butterflies are what does it for you, then let there be butterflies!" With that his mouth attacked the nape of my neck and the butterflies couldn't agree more.

Fingers resumed their way up my torso while I was trying to figure out how to get my hands on him in turn without having to ask him outright to take off at least four to five layers of clothing, when a thunderous boom from above forced our attention away from each other.

Dark clouds had gathered in the sky and fat raindrops started falling even while we were still trying to regain some composure.

Kili did not move away immediately. With rain pouring down on us and thunder roaring again, he took the time to kiss some drops from my face.

"Is that enough to quench your fire?" He asked with a silky voice.

"Pff, those few drops?"

He flashed me a wet, mischievous grin. "Let's go find some shelter."

"If you insist." Rainwater dripping from his hair and nose he still had me pinned to the ground, and if he wasn't the sexiest thing I had ever seen, I must have led an amazingly exciting life previously. I kind of doubted that I had.

After he packed we went to search a dry spot in the woods which we found in the form of a small cove between large boulders of rock. Soaked and shivering from the cold, despite wearing Kili's coat, I waited for him to start a fire with some dry wood he collected inside the cove. Once he was happy with the flames he went back out to collect bigger logs and soon enough he had a good fire going that lit and warmed our small hiding place.

Nevertheless I was still shivering. "Take off your wet things," Kili advised and for the first time since we'd met he slipped out of his own heavy leather jacket and the vest that appeared underneath. And the cardigan under the vest. I watched in awe.

"How much more is there?"

"Well", he pulled at the neckline of the shirt he wore under the cardigan. "There is this and then the blue one and of course my sheepskin top." He shrugged at my incredulous look. "Dwarfs dwell deep in mountain caves and spend most of their time mining. It tends to be chilly down there."

"Then I suppose you feel right at home here, " I gestured to the rocky walls surrounding us.

"Yes, I do," he replied happily. "It's pretty cozy, don't you think?" Kili held out a hand and his tone changed. "Come here!"

The words vibrated through me and created a whole new shiver up and down my spine. He helped me settle in front the fire and dropped himself behind me, having me sit me between his legs, his back sheltering me from the cool. Yes, that was totally acceptable.

"Hands up," he ordered. Up went my hands, off came my vest, tunic and green dotted jumper. And in another swift move off came his own brown shirt leaving him practically naked with only one blue shirt and a sheepskin top. The day still held great potential even though I felt slightly stupid in my sports bra and his brother's tights around my chest.

"What now?" I asked looking at him with fires in my eyes.

"Now," leaning in, his voice nothing but a low rumble in my ear, "we will make sure you stay warm." A surge of energy rushed from my head to my toes and made me hiss. Or was it his mouth that started to plant little kisses on my neck, his tongue tasting and teasing, easily finding the most sensitive spots. Truth be told, that was not so great an achievement. I had turned into one big sensitive spot under his ministrations.

Hands rubbed softly up and down my arms, my sides, my belly, making the skin tingle and burn and yearn for more while he seemed to be taking all the time in the world teasing, tickling, gently scratching, licking, kissing, breathing on my skin.

There was not much I could do, either. As strong as the desire to turn around and jump on him was, I knew it was not going to happen without a lot of shifting and pained movements on my part and he did not seem inclined to stop his assault on my senses for even a second. So I simply gave myself over to pleasure and let my head sink on his shoulder, hands in his glorious hair.

After a short struggle with my bra and the makeshift bandage around my chest, he cupped my breasts with strong but ever so gentle hands. With a desperate sob I arched my back for more contact. With a shake of head he denied me. Each and everyone of his fingertips had to greet my straining nipples first, only then he began to squeeze and probe in a more passionate manner. I felt his panting getting faster and was on the verge of begging him to come face to face with me when his right hand boldly slipped under the waistband of my sweatpants. I drew a shocked breath and tried to turn in his arms. To hell with the pain and all. But his embrace was like an iron grip and he would not yield either for my writhing nor my whimpering. He simply let his hand slide lower in excruciating slow motion and murmured in my ear in a language that I did not understand. His smile broadened when his hand came to a halt on my mound. Now he had me, I could not take any more, this was torture!

"Please Kili, please," I pulled his head down to find his mouth and engage him in a kiss deep enough to drown in, "please release me!" I pleaded through the kiss and he finally gave in, dipping his searching fingers in my overflowing opening and almost casually stroking the screaming bundle of nerves on top of it. It really did not take more to send me over the edge. With a lusty cry I came undone, writhing in his embrace and clinging to him for dear live.

After the waves of pleasure had ebbed out he let me down on a bed of discarded clothes, his thigh under my head. I wondered if now was the time to be slightly embarrassed. Torn between the wish to close my eyes for a second and the need to keep looking at him I decided for the latter and lucky that was, for else I would have missed his glare. So full of lust and longing it made my treacherous body instantly ring the bells for a possible next round.

"There must be worse ways to spend a rainy day," a smug voice in my head quipped.

Still catching my breath I rubbed his stubbly chin. "You are an evil, evil...dwarf."

And like an evil dwarf he threw back his head and laughed out relieved and I realized he had been as insecure about the aftermath of our encounter as I. That made him all the more endearing.

Kili fed the fire and returned his attention to me, an index finger languidly circling my belly button, little devils in his eyes indicating that he was up to no good but I was not to be distracted so easily now that I had my hands free to roam.

Head still resting comfortable on his thigh I reached up to run my hand over his broad shoulders and wide chest to a narrow waist where I untucked his shirt and pulled at it. "Off!" I demanded and he actually delivered more than I had ordered and pulled it all off, making me gasp at the sight.

By all that was holy he was truly gorgeous! Rock solid muscle from strong shoulders to finely chiseled abs and spectacular pecs, covered in silky soft black hair that trailed down to his belt and beneath. Mmmm, so much left to explore! I marvelled at my luck and went back to stroking his chest while placing kisses on the velvet just above the waistline.

He grew more agitated and fondled my breast with an urgency that I also could feel straining against his pants. With a chuckle I pinched a nipple. He captured my forward hand in a steely grip and growled. "Are you quite done with me already?"

Lazily gazing up into eyes that shone with suppressed need I shook my head. "Why, no of course! I believe we have only just begun!"

Shaking but tenderly he touched my left side that even through my endorphin induced haze throbbed numbly.

"You are in no state to..."

"Shhh!" I put a finger on his delectable lips. "Let me be the judge of this. Just be gentle!"He ran his tongue over my fingertip then bit down on it.

"That is the problem," he said in a constricted voice, " I don't know if I can."

How fortunate that I was beyond caring. Seeing my resolve he lifted my head from his thigh and got up in one fluid motion. Firelight danced on his flexing muscles while he opened the beautifully crafted buckle at his belt, kicked off his boots and stood there, pants low on his hips, breathing heavily and radiating the energy of an animal ready to charge.

I ached all over with the need to feel him close to me, on me, and yes, in me. Never taking his eyes of me he knelt down on one knee, untied my shoes so I could slip out of them and my still damp socks. He disposed of the knife still strapped to my leg and laid his hands on my hips. I lifted my bum and he stripped me of pants and panties. Running his hands up my legs he lay down beside me, claimed my mouth with his and this time his kiss was a lot less playful and a lot more passionate. His body glowed with heat and where his skin touched mine it seemed to ignite little sparks. I could tell that he was still holding back out of concern for me so I fisted my hands in his hair and pulled him closer even to kiss him back with all I had.

A growl formed deep within his throat and informed me that warm up time was over. He wriggled out of his pants and pushed himself up on his arms to gaze down on the flushed, whimpering life form he had reduced me to. My nails raked down his spine, causing him to arch his back and suck in his lower lip. Shoving with one knee he spread my legs to position himself between them and I strived to savour that moment but was not granted much time. With a forceful thrust he entered me and I found myself gasping for air again. "Holy Mother Earth!" was the last sort of coherent thought I managed before being swept away by dwarfish passion.

I believe nothing could have stopped him at that point. Eyes closed, hair flying wildly, his body heaved and grinded against mine and he filled me so perfectly with each powerful thrust that it did not take me all too long to jump off the cliff once more and dive into those gloriously mind numbing waves of a frenzied orgasm. His only reaction to it being a dirty smirk curling the corners of his mouth.

Crossing my ankles behind his back I urged him on but even now he took care not to crush me, favoured my good side and held me steady with strong hands. His movements took up speed and I fought to keep my eyes open, not wanting to miss the moment of his climax. As if it could have gone by unnoticed. With something resembling a war cry he buried himself within in me, his body tensing and shaking violently. Then, with his cry slowly fading, he collapsed next to me, fighting for air.

I held him as close as I could, waiting for his breathing to return to normal. When he looked at me a bit shy and apologetic but smug and chuffed with himself nonetheless, he was clearly waiting for something. "You did not lie, I give you that." I smiled inwardly. "There is nothing little or half about you!"

His laugh at my neck produced goosebumps in that area. He pulled away shortly to throw more logs on the fire, then grabbed his almost dry coat and covered us with it. Not half a minute later he was fast asleep. Stroking his black curls I sighed and even though I would have loved to enjoy the view a little longer tiredness got the better of me.

I must have slept an unusually long time. The smell of something cooking reached my nostrils before I fully awoke. Kili had not been idle while I had been napping away happily. My clothes were folded and neatly stacked at my left, new fire wood, was piled up ready to be used when needed, and dinner was up and boiling.

Outside the rain had stopped but dark clouds hung low and it was impossible to tell the time of day.

Kili sat stirring the contents of the iron pot with his long wooden spoon. Behind the curtain of his hair only his nose was visible and a tightly set mouth. He did not turn to look at me when I lifted my head.

"Hi," I greeted him softly. Still avoiding me he nodded slightly. "Uh, uh," I thought gloomily, "Here we go." How I wished I could get up gracefully, instead I skidded and moaned until a strong arm was offered to help me pull up. Tightly wrapping the coat around my still naked body I felt no need to beat around the bush. What I did feel was the need to find a bush, but first things first.

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing is wrong" he muttered through clenched teeth, immediately correcting himself, "Everything's wrong."

"Care to elaborate?" With a frustrated huff he let go of the spoon and banging his fists on his knees he snapped around and eyed me fiercely.

"I did not ask for this to happen but I won't apologize for it either," he hissed. Confused I tried to understand what he was talking about.

"I did not ask for it either," I replied after a long second, "I was practically begging for it. So I don't know why you would have to apologize. It was wonderful, it was extraordinary and overwhelming and certainly nothing I am going to regret or want to forget." I had rather hoped for a repeat performance but kept that thought to myself for the time being.

Kili's expression softened a bit.

"Yes, it was all that and then some," he admitted with a bow of his head, "Yet it should not have happened. The people who call me reckless, they are right. But I won't ever forget either."

"Then what is the problem? I want to understand!" I fished for my clothes while he picked up the spoon again, only to flip it around aimlessly between his fingers.

"Why did you so openly invite me to touch you?" He seemed to have troubles getting the words out.

"Why?" I shrugged, fumbling to get my panties on with one hand while the other fought to hold the coat together. Not a piece of cake if one cannot bend at will and a question like that waiting to be answered. "Because I felt attracted to you. Because you make the butterflies come to life. And maybe because you are the only real thing in this fucked up mess I have landed myself in. I don't have a past and I am not sure what sort of future awaits me. But you are here and you are all I care about right now. I felt right and it was real. Don't ruin it now, Kili!"

All the while I delivered my pathetic little speech I still had not managed to put on my underwear. Annoyed and angry I made to throw it in the fire but it was intercepted in mid flight by Kili.

"No, you don't burn this. I just washed it!"

"I can do...you what? Where?" I blurted out, the prospect of having a place to wash myself shortly taking over priorities.

"There is a small stream not far from here. But I advise against going there as you are." Swirling my flimsy slip around a finger he stood up and pulled me along, causing me to loose the coat. Stark naked I stood before him, to baffled by his words to even mind.

'He does the hunting, he cooks, he does the washing and he is a wonderful lover. Mum, can I keep him?'

But no, he had just told me I couldn't, or had he? I lost that trail of thought because he started to dress me like a doll. Unhurriedly but painstakingly avoiding to touch me where it was not entirely necessary. He applied the also freshly cleaned bandage and I almost welcomed the sharp sting in my chest. It hardly hurt more than his strangely detached behaviour.

Then he slipped up and let his hands rest on my belly for a second. It was enough to send an electric shock to my core. I heard him hiss behind me. "Did you feel that?" I whispered in awe.

"Yes, I did. And that's what makes it all so wrong."

"Explain!" I pleaded.

"Later," he played for time and removed his hands and finished my dress session to return to his cooking. "Hungry?" Tone deliberately light he offered a bowl and despite the multitude of questions tumbling over each other in my mind I could not deny the simple fact that I was not only hungry but positively starving, to such an extend that I did not even ask about whiskers.

The food was of course meat. It tasted alright and filled my stomach with something more substantial than butterflies. I already missed the butterflies.

We ate dinner in silence but I could not stop watching him. The way his hair swung when he moved, those strong, sure hands that I knew now could fly me to the moon and back with a few caresses. His mouth, oh his sweet mouth! No, I could not let this go so easily. Night had not yet come and sleep was no excuse to escape a little intimate talk over the crackling fire and it would start right now!

"Kili, if I have offended you by behaving somehow wantonly I am sorry. That's the last thing I'd want. Please do tell me what troubles you!"

Uneasily he glanced at the opening of the cove, " My brother will be here soon." How he knew that or how Fili was going to find us was beyond me but if that was the problem it was an easy one to solve. "Right, we don't have to tell him anything."

"No, we don't have to," he agreed with a sad smile, "Fili will know anyway. He reads me too well. He won't approve but it's not him I am concerned about."

"Then what is it?!"

"I am not free to do as I please," he finally spilled the beans.

"Oh." Why had that not occurred to me earlier? Handsome little devil that he was, it wasn't so far fetched. "You are married," I stated flatly. He almost choked on the piece of meat he had been chewing.

"MARRIED?! NO!," he cleared his throat a little still coughing, "I am NOT married," he sputtered through coughs. While he was clearing his airways I pondered the question whether that was indeed good news. "I have pledged myself to help my uncle's cause. I cannot divide my loyalties but have to help him reclaim what is rightfully his."

"And what, if I may know, is rightfully his?"

"The kingdom of Erebor. To become king under the mountain. But I am not supposed to talk about this." He hung his head. "I cannot speak about it."

"Then don't." I did not really mind. Everything he said only served to confuse me more. If his uncle was a king, albeit kingdomless, what did that make Kili? A prince? I suppressed a hysterical giggle. No, it wasn't a joke. There sure was something noble in the way he carried himself, upright and proud, though in that very moment he sat there sadly resigned. "Fine," not wanting to see him like that I tried to reassure him, "Not a word from me to anyone and we simply pretend nothing has happened. No big deal, happens all the time." Little white lies to lighten the mood, failing pathetically.

"No big deal?" he echoed. "Happens all the time? Well, not to our kind, it doesn't! Has it happened to you before?" His stare was intense and I swallowed hard.

"I don't know." Even to my own ears that reply sounded weak. "I have been with somebody before, I guess..." Not knowing what to say I shut up.

Kili startled me when he suddenly bent over and took my face between his hands, his dark gaze firmly on me. "So have I, in fact. But did it feel like this?" His mouth, which I had begun to fear I would not be allowed to ever taste again was on mine and made me swoon. The by know familiar heat started to rise again. He pulled back but not before leaving a bite on my lower lip, making my inner chords swing.

Touching my forehead to his I knew with sudden clarity, "No, it has never been like this."

Still breathing my breath he followed my cheekbones with his thumbs. I prayed he would not stop and he didn't, stroking my throat, light as a feather before paying a visit to my collarbones.

Where his finger's touched, the skin tingled. "I can feel you, you see. I am feeling the pleasure this brings you." His lips traveled to my ear. "Or this," his whisper sent shivers down my spine.

Then, as fast as it had happened it was over and I was left with a burning feeling of loss and longing.

His stare had lost nothing of it's intensity. "And I can feel that, too. How am I to fight when all I want is to be close to you?"

I was beginning to see a point in what he said but that didn't mean I had to like it.

"So, no. It does not happen all the time. To some it happens once in a lifetime, to most – never."

When the message finally hit home I could not decide whether to cry for joy or frustration. Had I been just listening to the most amazing declaration of love ever? Only to be told in the same sentence that it was doomed to never be lived? Or at least not before his landless uncle had regained his kingdom? How long could it take to regain one's kingdom? And from whom? And if he did, would I move into a palace of rock with my little prince? Was I destined to stay in this foreign world forever? Most likely never knowing who I was and pining for a love that could not be?

I violently shook my head to clear it of all those futile questions when Kili leaped to his feet to draw his sword and dashed to the entrance. He gestured for me to be still and cautiously peeked around the boulder wall. Now I also heard something approaching and then a soft whistle. Kili visibly relaxed but did not let go of his weapon until a large brown horse broke through the trees and from his back jumped a fancy haired blonde figure, running towards us past the horse that still carried another rider.

Fili!

The brothers hugged with a clash, clapping each others backs. Then Fili greeted me with a wide grin and bowed. "Greetings, my lady. I hope you are well and my brother has not driven you insane with his incessant babbling!"

"Babbling?" I laughed, "I could hardly get him to talk at all! You must speak of another brother."

"Na, only have this one. Forgive him, he is not used to such fair company." I smiled, Kili said nothing at all, which caused his Fili to raise an eyebrow or two. His eyes darted between me and his brother, who had been right. Fili didn't need to be told anything. He was on to it barely two minutes after rejoining us. Fili's expression darkened but before he could voice is opinion a tall frame filled the opening of the cove.

A seemingly very old man with long gray hair and even longer bead, dressed in an overlarge cloak of the same colour and sporting a wide rimmed pointed hat cleared his throat. He leaned on a long wooden walking stick, taking in the scenery with intelligent, keen blue eyes and nodded graciously towards Kili. "Gandalf!" Kili shouted, relieve and dread clearly audible for all within earshot.

The tall man turned his attention to me. "And the young lady without memories, I assume?"

"Hello," I muttered nervously. He made me a touch uneasy. "Are you the mighty wizard?" I had not meant to be so blunt but he dismissed it with a wave.

"Mighty, by all means, no. I may know a little trick or two." He entered the cove that began to look a bit crowded, to take a seat on a small rock near the fire. Fili took position next to his brother and eyed him with a stern face behind the sitting man's back.

"Now, Master Fili tells me you have been in an accident of sorts," our gray clad visitor began his examination.

"She is hurt," Kili, bless him, piped in, which earned him another glare from his brother.

Ancient blue eyes bore into mine. Without turning his head the wizard spoke. "Well, Masters Fili and Kili, I believe you have an appointment to keep in Bag's End. Maybe it is best that you should be on your way so as not to be late. I will stay with the young lady and we will follow you in the morning on horseback."

More of an order than a suggestion that was and the boys sprang to action. I looked at Kili alarmed but he did not object. Fili handed him bags that he dutifully shouldered. I stood up and went to give him his coat. He put it over my shoulders and gave me a sad little smile. "You keep that. It will keep you warm."

Fili grabbed his belt from behind and unceremoniously towed him away. "Come on you!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Now," the kind but firm voice from across the fire boomed, "if you would be so kind to tell me your tale." It was said politely enough but there was no doubt that he was not used to be kept waiting.

I lowered myself to the ground and sat with crossed legs, straight up, to keep the pain in my side at a minimum and reluctantly started to talk. It didn't take more than a few minutes. I still had nothing more to tell than the fact that I had found myself at the foot of a steep mountain wall, battered and bruised and clueless to what had brought me there or who I was. I had a general idea of how the world should be working but no recollection of anything to do with my own existence. I knew what books were but not if I had every read any. I remembered movies but not which ones I'd seen. I was able to describe cities but not name a single one.

The wizard was intrigued by everything I told him and though I had the genuine feeling that he had never heard of any of it before, he did not show surprise or disbelieve. After the long interrogation came to an end, he produced a small flask from a pocket in his cloak and handed it to me.

"Here child, I would ask you to drink this. Have no fear, it is a harmless herbal concoction." He uncorked the flask and I took it with slight hesitation.

Warily sniffing at the contents and not detecting anything suspicious I took a cautious sip. It tasted ghastly. Bushy gray eyebrows were raised and made me drink up like a good girl.

"Blech!" I wiped my mouth to get rid of the taste. "What was that?!"

"Oh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that..." he replied vaguely but watching expectantly. A great sense of peace and calm suddenly took hold of me. My head felt light and I breathed with ease and without pain for the first time in this strange new life of mine.

Gandalf's voice was closer now, he had come to stand behind me. "I have to touch you now, don't be afraid!" And I wasn't.

He placed a warm palm on my forehead, the other between my shoulder blades and hummed a low melody. The calm seemed to deepen even more as his hands moved to my temples, applying only a little pressure. Eyes closed, a white light filled my vision, my head, my whole being. I felt like being lifted from my body, becoming pure energy. I loved it!

When the sensation faded I had no conception of how much time had passed. Maybe hours, maybe only minutes. The wizard was back in his former spot opposite of me. He smiled: "Stand up, child!" he bid me. I scrambled to my feet and only when I stood I realized that I had done so without difficulty.

"Oh," I mouthed and my hands flew to my side, pressing it. "You healed me!" It almost sounded accusingly and made me laugh. "Sorry, I meant thank you ever so much!" He gestured dismissively and just kept smiling like an innocent old grandfather. I tryingly bent a bit from side to side; not a trace of pain or discomfort. Sitting back down I regarded him with new respect.

"A little trick or two you know, don't you?!" I asked teasingly. He did not mind.

"I like to be modest," he replied with a wink, then he tapped a finger to his temple. "And here?"

I listened anxiously to the little voice in my brain but it had nothing to say. He understood without a word but the look he gave me was odd. "Don't give up hope," he said kindly, "There are others, more skilled than I am. We will go and see them."

Nice of him to care but, "What will become of me?" I shook my head, the joy of having been physically restored gravely diminished. "Where will I go from here? What will I do?"

"Don't worry now, the solutions will show themselves along the way." He sounded so sure, I wasn't. "Would you like to rest now?" he inquired.

"Not quite if you don't mind. What I really want is to hear more about this world. Anything to make me feel less ignorant and alien."

He nodded agreement. "If it is stories you are after you have found yourself the right wizard!"

From his bag he retrieved a long, well used pipe and a tobacco pouch. After the pipe was stuffed and lit and he had taken a few hearty puffs he sat back more comfortably and in his low and soothing voice began a long tale about that place called Middle Earth and it's inhabitants from mankind to hobbits, from elves to dwarfs and their never ending struggle to keep the ever present evil at bay. He spoke of kingdoms long gone and wars and heroes and dark sorcerers and finally came to the present state of things. There he hesitated.

"When, by tomorrow, we reach the house of Bilbo Baggins you will be likely to meet more of Fili and Kili's kin. They are to play a most important role in the imminent future of Middle Earth, having joined in a quest to right a great wrong in a land that has much need of it." My interest was suddenly piqued at the mention of a certain name and it did not go unnoticed.

"I take it you harbour a warm affection for young Kili," he probed, "One, if an old man can trust his instincts, is being returned in kind."

I put on my most innocent face but there was no fooling him. "The races do not mix lightly," he informed me. "Even at the best of times yours would be a very difficult position, to say the least. As it is, Kili has a duty to perform that holds grave risks and dangers and he must not be diverted." There was no mistaking the seriousness of his words. "If you care for him, do not add to his burden."

"A burden is the very last thing I want to be," I could barely whisper the words, "but do not ask me to deny my feelings for him."

He cocked a head as if to listen to something only he could hear and shot me a new appraising look.

"You have the connection." It was a statement, not a question.

"That's what he said," I admitted, "Something strange going on, isn't there?"

Sighing the wizard seemed to deflate a bit. "That is indeed highly unusual," he concluded, "But everything happens for a reason. Now you must excuse an old man who needs a short rest before the morning." He stored away his pipe away, lay down flat on his back, head on bag, hands on his belly and became very still.

I lay down, too, stretching my limps a little and enjoyed being able to do so free of pain. With so many thoughts in my head I doubted that I would find sleep that night but I did and I woke in the morning feeling refreshed and full of energy. Possibly a side effect of the mixture I had swallowed the night before.

Gandalf was outside tending to his horse. I approached him hesitantly but he greeted me warmly and handed me a piece of dry pastry from his saddle bag. "It's Lembas, or elven bread," he explained, "Keeps forever and is very nourishing."

I nibbled at the crusty thing and liked the taste. "Gandalf?"

"Yes, my dear?"

"I wanted to thank you for your help. You sure have better places to be, more important things to do, being a great wizard and all."

"I go where fate leads me. Like I said, everything happens for a purpose that will reveal itself in due time. And when the purpose of you being here is going to be revealed, I want to be there!"

Fair enough.

He secured his bag on the saddle, took the reigns and lead the horse into the trees. With one last glance over the little hideout where I had found and – maybe – lost a love I went after him.

We made our way to the edge of the forest and I revelled in my new found fitness. With being able to move freely I felt much better prepared to take on what ever was coming my way.

"Have you ever sat on a horse, dear?" Gandalf asked as we stepped beyond the trees. Putting a hand on the large steeds long neck I wondered. Friendly wet eyes blinked and the animal whinnied softly. I scratched the spot between his ears and stroke the velvety nose. He nudged me in the side, making me laugh out loud.

"You know what? I think I might have!" With that I leaped up into the saddle. Pressing my calves against the soft belly I urged him to move forward. He obeyed and made a few steps before I reigned him in. We circled the wizard and came to a halt in front of him.

Gandalf looked on my obvious joy with patient amusement. I lifted the reigns a bit. "May I?" He stepped back and held out his arm invitingly. A little kick and horse and rider sped away across the field. It felt heavenly to fly over the tall grass, the powerful animal leaping beneath me with long strides. We rode a large circle, galloping back along the forest's edge and returning to the waiting wizard in a light trot. I petted the horse lovingly and jumped to the ground. "You ride like a warrior princess," the tall wise man commented.

"Bah, he is an easy ride." I rubbed he horse that had come to nozzle me again.

"No dear, actually he isn't." The wizard objected, "he must be fond of you."

"As I am of him," I beamed, "And I will prove it to him with a good brush down when we get to a stable." The horse snorted approvingly.

Gandalf took hold of the reigns and ascended with a grace that I had thought impossible for a man of his age and held out a hand for me to climb up behind him. "Hold on child, we have quite the distance to cover yet before the evening." As if to strengthen the point the horse reared and made me throw my arms around the man sitting in front of me.

"You did that purely for show," I mumbled as we took off to the pounding of hooves that sent small pebbles flying.

When the hills became lower and the landscape changed we slowed down. I began to see fields and acres that looked well cultivated and soon Gandalf slowed the horse to walking pace. "We will meet the first inhabitants of Hobbiton shortly. Just smile friendly and politely and let me do the talking, if it comes to that." I nodded, beginning to feel nervous about meeting more people I would not know but excited about the prospect of maybe seeing Kili again.

As Gandalf had prepared me we started to come across more and more people. They were even smaller than dwarfs and preferred to walk around bare footed. Presenting overlarge and hairy feet to everybody who cared enough to look. Which presently was only me.

Gandalf seemed to be a well known figure in these parts, being greeted left and right by folk pushing handcarts along the road, working in their well kept gardens or just enjoying an evening smoke on their front porches. The houses appeared to be nothing but mounds in the earth, with admittedly nice looking front doors and colourfully panelled glass windows. "They live in holes in the ground? I had been hoping for a proper bath," I admitted.

"These are hobbit houses," Gandalf corrected me, "that means lots of good food, a warm hearth and all the comforts of a home." I hoped that his idea of the latter and mine were roughly the same.

Outside one of the grass topped mounds we stopped and got off the horse. Gandalf led him to a nearby paddock where other ponies already grazed and took only his bag. "Maybe you want to take care of Windstalker later?" he suggested.

"I'd love to!"

"Good, then let's go and meet Master Baggins."

Using his staff (I had been told off for calling it a walking stick only a while ago) Gandalf knocked on the round front door to Bilbo Baggins' house and it opened almost instantly. "Gandalf!" cried a disheveled looking little man in short breeches with enormous and hairy feet peeking out out of them.

"My house is full of dwarfs! You have to do something!" He started when he realized the wizard had not come alone. "My apologies, my lady, Bilbo Baggins, honoured to make your acquaintance." He bowed a little but before I could greet him in reply he had already turned back to Gandalf. "You should see the state of my kitchen! There is mud on the carpet, they've pillaged the pantry and I won't even tell you what they did to my bathroom. They have all but destroyed the plumbing. I don't understand what they are doing in my house!" he was almost in tears but Gandalf could not have been less sympathetic. He impatiently pressed past the outraged hobbit and dragged me along to a small library just off the entrance.

"Bilbo, this young lady is in great distress. She is in dire need of a bath, fresh clothes and a good meal." At hearing this our reluctant host became even more agitated. Torn between the wish to help me and the need to rescue his home from invading dwarfs he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Why don't you show my friend your guest room and I will see to the rest of the company?" Gandalf suggested kindly and with a heavy sigh Bilbo made up his mind.

"Alright. But please make them go away! They are ruining my mothers best china, it's over a hundred years old!" He watched the retreating wizard with dread. Shoulders sagging he put up a brave smile: "Follow me then, my lady." He stepped out into the hallway and I could indeed hear voices shouting and laughing and the clatter of dishes from the deep end of the house. I strained my ear to detect Kili's voice in the cacophony but Bilbo hastily ushered me into a side corridor and a charming little room with a comfy looking bed, closet, chest of drawers, a wash basin and even a couple of easy chairs in front of a fire place!

"It's not much," the fidgety little man apologized and lit a few candles, "But I hope it is to your liking."

"It is perfect, thank you very much."

"Right. Yes." He made little indecided steps towards the door and back and the door again, piercing the air with his index finger. "If you excuse me now. I will be back shortly with...things." He was temporarily at a loss for words. "Yes, things," he repeated himself and escaped. Great, here was somebody even more confused than I was!

I scanned the room which was indeed lovely but I would have enjoyed it much more if I had not felt like a giant in a doll's house. Taking off Kili's coat I buried my nose in it for a moment to inhale the scent of him that lingered there, then placed it over the back of one of the high chairs.

A soft knock on the door made me jump. Bilbo stood outside, holding a tray with bread buns, a lump of butter, slices of cheese and ham and a glass of milk. "That is all I managed to save from their greedy paws for the moment", he apologized, muttering: "bloody dwarfs!" as an afterthought.

"That will do just fine, it looks delicious," I thanked him and took the tray. "Is there maybe a bathroom I could use?"

He froze in mid flight. "Ehhhh...well, yes but advise strongly against coming near it." "Then where can I wash up?"

"Ahhhhh..." he had managed to get another half step away. "I will see to it!" and away he ran down the hallway towards the voices that now had started singing and the banging of cutlery on the table. "Gandalf!" I heard him scream and shut the door.

As much as I would have liked to see what was going on in his dining room I kind of suspected my appearance would seriously spoil the party, so I perched down on the small bed and started on my lonely dinner with great appetite.

Having cleaned away every last crumb of bread I mustered up the courage to take a look in the wrought iron framed mirror above the basin. Nervous and unsure what to expect I studied my reflection. The face in the mirror was familiar and strange together. Young, maybe mid twenties I reckoned, blue eyes, dirty blond hair that hung in a loose braid, it's tip just reaching over my shoulder, average sized nose and mouth, small ears. All in all not too bad but nothing to get excited about, was the verdict the jury came to pass. "But in desperate need of a wash!" the judge added.

Another knock on the door that I hoped announced the arrival of my order of water. I also hoped there would be more than a cup full.

There were in fact two huge buckets full, carried by a perplexed looking dwarf. Kili almost dropped his precious cargo and thrilled as I was to see him, I could not let that happen. I took the buckets and set them next to the washing table then pushed the door closed behind motion- and speechless Kili.

"Cat got your tongue?" To my great surprise I was able to joke. Happiness to see him had overcome all else.

"You are here! Where is Gandalf? What happened? How are you?" His wiring got suddenly reconnected. I sat down on the bed again, because I felt the small furniture over accentuated my giant-ness. He made a tentative step in my direction but another knock on the door stopped him in track.

"Come in," I sighed exasperated. I almost began to understand how Bilbo must feel. Gandalf the Grey stooped low to peek in.

"Ah, Kili! There you are. So kind of you to assist Bilbo with the water but I trust your presence is required elsewhere. Your uncle is due to arrive any minute and our lovely friend here sure is impatient to get on with her toilet...before I would ask her to remember her promise to Windstalker."

Kili scratched his head. "Of course, uncle...of course. Who is Windstalker?"

"My horse." Gandalf's informed him dryly. Kili looked confused, I looked questioningly at the wizard. Was he trying to help us meet away from prying ears and eyes?

"Yes, I will be happy to see to Windstalker when I am done here. In about an hour, perhaps?" The last part was subtly directed at Kili who slowly began to understand that he was being given a hint.

"Oh! Oh that horse! Right. Yes, I think I will check on the ponies myself in a while! Now I really must..." He retreated backwards through the door almost stumbling over the doorstep, slipping past the wizard who stepped in and kicked the door shut.

"Thick like the rock they dwell in," Gandalf muttered to himself.

Tall and lean he looked even more out of place and proportion in my little boudoir than I did. He leaned on his staff and let his gaze wander.

"Gandalf?"

"Yes dear?" He seemed fascinated by the windowframe.

"Have you just been setting me up to meet Kili later? Away from the company?"

"By no means!" His attention had shifted to the flickering candle on the table. "I only remembered what we had talked about earlier!"

"Gandalf, I may only have met you but without disrespect, grandfatherly innocence does not become you."

"And I assure you it is very helpful at times." Cheeky wizard.

There was still a point I needed to clear. "You warned me only this morning to stay away from him. Why this sudden change of heart?"

"I thought it over," his tone was more serious and he finally looked at me, "your being here could of course be a mere coincidence. Only wizards do not believe in coincidences. So if you and young Kili were destined to meet, who am I to interfere? Everything has it's purpose, remember. Just be careful."

He could not possible know what weight he had just lifted from my heart. I had to jump up and hug him. From his reaction I could tell that was not something that happened to a wizard in Middle Earth every day.

"Sorry, female impulsiveness," I giggled and went back to my low perch on the bed. Gandalf made to leave. "Wait! Am I going to meet that famous uncle of his, too?" He pondered the thought for a moment, then nodded affirmation with a funny little smile.

"You might as well, and I dare say I am very much looking forward to that meeting." He opened the door.

"Oh! One last thing! You wouldn't know a little spell to heat the water?" A flick of his staff sent a flash of light across the room. Two buckets of steaming water sat next to the washing table, the door to my room clicked shut. I grinned. There were certain advantages in having a wizard around.

A good hour later I was clean and thanks to the little piece of soap provided by Bilbo, smelling nicely of lavender and thyme. The water had been enough to even scrub my jumpsuit and socks, that now were drying by the fire place. I was dressed in clothes, that according to Bilbo had once been his great great aunt's (from his father's side) who had been overly large for a hobbit. He even hinted at a possible interracial indiscretion between one of his ancestors and a woman of man.

So that sort of thing was not entirely unheard of but obviously something to be extremely embarrassed about and best not mentioned.

I liked Bilbo. The friendly little man with the open face was clearly deeply distressed by the unexpected turn his evening had taken and though the noise down the hall had died down to a low murmur he did not seem less upset.

"You are very kind Bilbo, I am very much in your debt. If I can help you tidy up...?" I had told him warmly and was rewarded with a weak smile.

"That won't be necessary," he had said, "It's all...surprisingly clean now but..." he had shrugged helplessly and excused himself.

So I stood there in my new attire, long, red woolen skirt with a nicely embroidered seam and a clean shirt, over which I was wearing Kili's tunic. I was not ready to part with that yet. Deciding it was time to venture out I left my room, tiptoed carefully down the hall and slipped out the front door. The night was cool but more stars than I had imagined possible twinkled from a clear sky and a quarter moon shed a pale light on the land. It was enough to find the way to the paddock where we had left Windstalker, who came at my call and whinnied softly, shaking his mane in greeting.

"Hey boy, how is it going?" I noticed the saddle had been taken off him. "Where do they keep the brushes around here?" I asked the horse who twisted his ears and whipped his head to the side. There indeed was a little shack. "Good boy!" I praised the horse and with Windstalker in tail I went to see what it might hold. When my eyes had adjusted to the dark I could make out some gardening tools and grooming utensils. Feeling around I found a brush. "Here we go!" I told the horse that had poked his head in. He backed out and I started on is long, brown mane, working my way down to the strong powerful torso and flanks. The horse kept absolutely still in appreciation of my strokes and only nudged me on when I stopped for a moment to clean the brush. "Enjoying this, are we?" I teased him.

"Wouldn't we all," a low voice from behind answered and made me jump.

Windstalker snorted disapprovingly while my heart rate increased considerably.

Kili was a sight for sore eyes. He had his arms on the fence, chin resting on his wrists, dark eyes mirroring the starlight.

"How long have you been here?"

"Long enough to become jealous of that horse." The attempt at humour barely hid the longing in his voice.

Holding on to Windstalker's mane in a conscious effort to resist the urge to run to Kili and kiss him senseless I asked, " What happened? What is going on in there? Has your uncle come?"

He shrugged. "Lot's of scheming and planning, looking at maps, routes to find, riddles to solve. You'd be terribly bored."

"Is that so," I laughed, "and what about your brother? Did he give yo a bad time?"

His face darkened at the mention of Fili. "Let's just say my ears are still ringing." He was not going to volunteer any information on that either. "But look at you! You really are all healed?" Smooth change of subject.

"Yes! Look!" I bent at the waist to touch my toes and hopped up and down a bit. Kili smirked at my antics. "And guess what! I found out that I am pretty good on horseback, too! I really wonder what else I might be good at."

"Well, I know at least of one more thing." Talk about making the blood rush to my heart and several other body parts. He stifled a laugh. "Was talking about you and the knife, you know." Evil, evil dwarf.

He sobered. "What's up with Gandalf?"

"What do you mean?"

"He seems …. keen on giving us time together. That is not what I expected." He climbed up to sit on the fence. If I reached out now I could place a hand on his knee, instead I continued to stroke Windstalker.

"I am not sure," I admitted. "In the morning he firmly warned me to stay away from you. Then in the evening he claimed to have thought it over and that everything happened for a purpose and who was he to meddle with fate. I am quite in favour of his reasoning, I must say."

Kili remained quiet for a minute, then moaned loudly, "Could you please stop fondling that horse? It makes me want to shoot him!"

Windstalker's snort was full of contempt. I patted him consolingly. "Don't you mind that brute, handsome." But the horse had had enough, he stalked away. "You have hurt his feelings." It was Kili's turn to snort but at least he did not stalk away. "Well, is there anything else you'd want me to fondle instead?" I was standing right in front of him now, belly almost touching his knees.

"A thing or two come to mind." His voice no more than a low rumble.

"Dwarf," I warned him, "do not tempt me!"

He moved so fast I never saw it coming but I found myself between his legs, strong arms holding me tight and that lovely mouth only an inch from mine. "To hell with reason," he whispered, "After all, who am I to doubt the judgment of a wizard?" And he kissed me. And then he kissed me some more and when he stopped kissing me I kissed him and who knows, we might have been kissing till sunrise if not for Gandalf, "I-have-no-respect-for privacy," the Grey, asking in a mild voice: "Are you done with the horses already?"

"Ahem," I cleared my throat and reluctantly put some distance between Kili and myself. "I believe we are." Kili looked only a touch guilty but not ashamed. I was quite proud of him. Gandalf's scrutinizing gaze was unreadable.

"Kili, I hear your uncle is looking for you. Best not to keep him waiting. We will be along in a minute."

My love inhaled sharply. "You are going to present her to Thorin?" Now there definitely were traces of panic.

"That is indeed my plan, yes," the wizard answered sweetly.

With Kili jumping off the fence and starting gloomily towards the house, Gandalf eyed me thoughtfully, "Only I haven't figured out how to introduce you yet." He scratched a bushy gray brow. Kili, still within earshot, did a half turn. "She is Dalan-da!" he shouted back and was gone.

"Hmmm, Dalan-da, that is cute. Dalan, yes, that shall be your name for now!"

Did I get a say in this matter, too? "What does it mean?"

"It means butterfly in Khuzdul, the dwarfen speech." My laughter rang out across the paddock. "What is so funny?"

"Come on! Do I look like butterfly to you?" I flapped my arms as if trying to take off.

"Well, not exactly but it seems the name has a meaning for young Kili. If you strongly object though..." I thought it over. It did have a meaning to Kili, and to me of course. But still – BUTTERFLY?! Then again Dalan did not sound so bad. I gave in.

"You are right. It is a good name."

"Of course I am," Gandalf looked smug. "I always am."

"Always?" I questioned in an almost teasing tone.

"Well, almost. Or at least pretty often..."

Before we we re-entered the house the 'always, well, almost or at least pretty often' right wizard offered some advise.

"You are about to meet Thorin Oakenshield. He is the leader of his people, the folk of Durin and he is a great hero amongst his kind but he is not an easy man. He is proud and headstrong and the future of his people depends upon the outcome of his quest. It is a lot to bare and he cannot afford to be kind or gentle. Fili and Kili are is sister's sons. He will not appreciate your closeness to his nephew. I strongly suggest do not make it obvious to him at this point."

"You can rely on me for that. Don't know about Kili's acting skills though." Gandalf, gave me a very strange look from the side. "No, you wouldn't, would you."

"Well, no time like the present, is there," he pushed through the door. "We will have to trust Fili to keep his brother in check."

"Aha! So Fili is in on your little scheme?" It was too late for him to answer. Thirteen pairs of expectant eyes were watching our entry from Bilbo's living room.

I don't know what exactly I had been expecting but boy, what an assemblage of, well, dwarfs. It was too much to take in all at once. What I saw was lots of crazy hairstyles, long beards, fancy dressing, huge bellies and impressive noses. There were friendly faces, indifferent ones, young ones, dangerous looking ones and some seemingly as old as Gandalf.

Those were the people chosen to reclaim a lost kingdom? I did not have time to wonder much, as Gandalf introduced them one by one and each dwarf bowed when his name was called, even the ones I already knew. Fili almost smiled at me, Kili did but I forced my eyes away from him and on the only man who had not yet been named.

"Dalan, meet Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror." I had not really expected a friendly "At your service" from him but the hard stare I was greeted with almost made me bolt. Gandalf's hand was at my elbow and a tiny squeeze from him helped steady me.

"My lord," I tried to be polite but found myself curtsying. Now where did that come from? Gandalf seemed pleased, but the leader of the dwarf pack didn't even blink.

He was undeniably handsome. Dark hair, much like Kili's, with a few grey streaks over a high forehead, a nicely trimmed beard, very unlike the rest of his company, piercing blue eyes without a trace of warmth in them. The full mouth would have been attractive, if not for the tension around the edge, that gave him an almost cruel expression. 'And if not cruel, then at least constantly pissed off at something,' I couldn't help thinking. Here was a man who did not believe in laughter and light banter.

He still hadn't spoken. Well, neither would I. Two can play this game and I crossed my arms in front of me. "Dalan is in a dire predicament," Gandalf broke the silence and explained in few words how he had come by me. Only in his version of events it was him that had found me, no mention of royal nephews being made.

Still being held hostage by Thorin's stare I did not dare to sneak a glance at Kili to see what he thought of the wizard's narrative liberties. At the end of the tale a chorus of 'The poor lass!' 'What a bloody misfortune' and 'Blimey's,' chimed up from the audience but everybody fell silent when their leader finally deigned to speak. Though not to me, mind you.

"And why bring her here, Gandalf? How do you think we can help her?" My eyes narrowed. Hero or not, that was downright rude! A little squeeze at my elbow reminded me to stay calm. I suspected Kili was the recipient of much the same treatment, maybe not quite as gentle. I began to understand why Gandalf saw fit to acquire an accomplice.

"I have tried all in my power to restore her memory but I am at my wit's end. There are others though, I believe will succeed where I have to admit defeat. Since we have to see Lord Elrond of..."

"DO NOT SPEAK TO ME OF THAT ELF!" Thorin thundered cutting the wizard short. "We do not need him or his help! We will not go to Rivendell!"

I did not know where or what Rivendell was but if it was not on the dark side of the moon, chances were that they knew of Thorin's opinion of them as of now.

Gandalf stayed remarkably calm. "Even if we do not venture into the hidden valley, we will come close on our way and I want to take this opportunity to have the young lady travel under the protection of this formidable company rather than have her facing the dangers of the journey by herself."

"We can protect the lass, alright!" ' No safer way to travel than in the company of dwarfs!" "I will personally see to your safety, my Lady!" the public was clearly on my side but their leader shut them up yet again.

"Gandalf," he hissed through his teeth. "We already have a hobbit to slow us down!"

"No, you haven't! I have not signed the contract yet," piped a small voice from the side. I thought it pretty courageous on Bilbo's part to interrupt the steaming dwarf but he was being utterly ignored. "Now you want us to play chaperones to a woman as well? Does she even know how to ride or do we have to bring a carriage, too?"

My elbow needed a lot of squeezing by now. A steely grip was probably a more accurate way to describe it.

"I can assure you, Thorin, the young lady is in fact a very good rider." Gandalf was not giving an inch.

"And she is pretty skilled with a knife as well!" More support was coming from the audience. I bit my lips. He had not just said that, had he? Fourteen curious faces turning to Kili indicated that he had. Fili just rolled his eyes.

"And how have you come by that knowledge?" growled a scary looking fellow with rows of tattooed runes on his bald head. "

Well – eh – Gandalf has told us about it just before, hasn't he, Fili?!" Kili stammerd.

('Big brother, please save me!' for all who could read between the lines).

"Aye," Fili at least knew his script, "Gandalf has spoken to us before."

('Trying to help but not lying for you, idiot!' translation end)

"Is that so, Gandalf?" for once I was glad that Thorin drew everybody's attention so easily."And what exactly can she do with a knife? Peel the potatoes expertly? Carve nice patterns in the carrots?"

That man was trying my patience big time! How dare he speak about me as if I wasn't there? And in that insolent tone?! But all the while he did so, he never took his piercing eyes off me. Was he trying me on purpose? Suddenly I was sure that he did. Fine then. I would not give him the satisfaction of loosing my temper.

"I wanna see what the lass can do with a knife!" The public voiced their opinion on the matter. "Yes, give the girl a blade." "We all wanna see it!"

A tiny twitch of Thorin's mouth almost made him look amused. Slowly he drew a beautiful little dagger, much like the one I was wearing hidden under my skirt and held it out for me to take. A straight blade, shiny and sharp with a handle made of fine silver. I weighed it in my hand, it was well balanced.

"Don't hurt anyone." It was the first time he had spoken to me directly and I found some cheap joy in the fact that he had to look up to me.

"Where do you want it?" I was very pleased with the determination in my voice. Without hesitation Thorin pointed to a wooden beam at the far end of the room.

The other dwarfs protested loudly. "Oh no!" "That's not fair!" "Too difficult!"

I weight the knife in my hand again and narrowed my eyes to look Thorin straight in the eye. "If I hit you take me with you."

"If you don't, you disappear!" He met my glare with force.

"Now, now.."! Gandalf tried to intervene. We both ignored him, still locked in our staring contest.

"Deal," I hissed.

"Deal!" he hissed back. I looked back at the beam, flipped the knife in the air, catching it at it's tip, aimed and threw.

The blade hit the wood with a most satisfying "thud", shivered a bit and stuck.

First there were gasps, then the ecstatic cheering and hollering from a dozen dwarfs shook Bilbo's house.

Feeling smug and mightily relieved I went to unpluck the knife and brought it back to Thorin. He still did not smile but his stance seemed somewhat more relaxed. "Welcome to the company of Thorin Oakenshield." He put his knife back in it's place on his belt. "That was impressive." He bowed his head slightly.

"Not really," I had to admit, "I had aimed much higher."

Then the dwarfs were all over me, congratulating, back clapping, hand shaking and offering drinks. In the overall chaos I finally dared to steal a glimpse at Kili. He stood behind is cheerful friends, the ever watchful Fili next to him and his eyes shone with pride.


	4. Chapter 4

\- 4 -

Travel arrangements were made and I was given a satchel the good dwarfs had stuffed with little bits and pieces everybody had to spare. In the end I was the proud owner of such useful items as a hairbrush, flint stones, a blanket, a tiny pouch holding a sewing kit, knitted mittens and my very own wooden spoon!

It was decided that we should leave by the first light of day and one by one the company settled in Bilbo's living room. I thanked everybody for their kindness and retreated to my room. My head was spinning, from everything I had lived through that day. On the bed I found a pretty blue cape, most likely another item from great great aunt Baggins's wardrobe. That came in handy. I did not want to but it was probably best not to be seen wearing Kili's coat and I should give it back to it's rightful owner before our departure. Only then I realized that I had worn his tunic all this time. Luckily no one had noticed.

I woke even before dawn and waited for the knock on the door. When it came I was already there to open. The knocker was not, as I had hoped Kili but his brother.

"Oh," I took a step back which he saw as invitation to come in and close the door.

"Been expecting somebody else?" Fili teased mildly.

"Was hoping for room service," I mumbled.

Fili laughed silently into his beard and shook his head, sending the braids in his hair and beard flying. "You are one strange lady if I have ever seen one."

"You are not exactly what I am used to yourself, you know!" Sporting hair like that and calling me strange.

"I did not mean to offend you." He rubbed his hands together, searching for the right words. "I had a long talk with my little brother the night we left you with Gandalf. Truth be told, I did the talking. Then I had another long talk with Gandalf last night, where he did most of the talking. And last but not least I had another long talk with Kili again, this time I actually allowed him to get a few words in, too." He smiled. "And even after all this talk, I am still not sure what to think of this story but I want you to know that even though I am not entirely sure it is the right thing to do, I am willing to give it a try if that is your wish as well." That said he leaned back against the door.

"Kili is the most important thing in the world to me." What else could I say.

"And if you remember your other world?" Fili inquired sensibly.

At this I could only shake my head. "It is hard to imagine I could care about anything as much as I do about your brother."

He studied his hands for a moment then turned his blue gaze on me. "I love my uncle Thorin. I do not like having secrets from him. He is my leader and my king. But I love my brother more. You can count on me."

I was blown away by his speech. He did not seem the type but then Gandalf had said he was the appointed heir, in case anything should happen to Thorin. It might not be always visible under his goofball exterior but I was convinced he would make a pretty decent king, come the time.

"I don't know how to thank you." I offered weakly.

With a wink he shoved himself off the door. "Make my brother happy and keep him out of trouble!"

"Let's start with this. " I turned and grabbed Kili's coat from the bed where I had slept in it one last time and put into Fili's arms. He nodded and left. I hoped the first part of what he had asked of me would ensure the second but from what I had already seen I kind of doubted it. And little did I know that I ain't seen nothing yet.

Thirteen dwarfs, a wizard and a very excited girl gathered at he paddock and got their horses/ponies ready. Bilbo was nowhere to be seen.

"He ain't coming!" the fierce looking type with the tattooed head snapped.

"No, no. He will show up, you wait and see!" Ancient white hair with Santa Claus beard disagreed.

"I wager fifty coins against it!" droned another broad shouldered warrior with thick red hair and beard. Bets and sums were flying back and forth from dwarf to dwarf and even Gandalf put a hefty sum in. Him firmly believing that Bilbo Baggins would not be able to resist joining in an adventure like the one he had been offered.

Me, not being the gambling type, I was instead making friends with the sturdy little horse the resourceful wizard had presented me with. She was a lovely looking mare with a chocolate brown body and white fringe and ankles. When I sneaked her an apple she instantly warmed to me and I took her to meet Windstalker. The tall stallion greeted me with a few friendly puffs of hot breath and eyed the newcomer with interest.

"You two are going to be best friends, ok, kids?" They sniffed each other a little and seemed alright with the idea. If only people were that easy.

I jumped into the saddle to see how the little mare and I would get along and was not surprised to find that she was easy going and receptive to my commands. Then, looking over the gathering of characters around me I had a moment of doubt. Was this really all happening? Dwarfs, wizards and elves...yes, I sort of knew about them but they were not supposed to be real, or were they? And yet, here I was, right in the middle of them and what was more, the whole scene seemed oddly familiar, as if I had been in a similar position before….I met Kili's smile over the back of several horses and all doubt was gone with the wind. Boldly I smiled back. Just then Thorin gave the sign to depart and we slowly trotted out of Hobbiton.

That early in the morning no one was in the mood for much talk. We left the fine hobbit acres behind us and ascended one of the tree speckled hills surrounding the peaceful little valley when shouts from behind made the convoy stop and look back. In a flurry of arms and legs and wildly waving a long piece of paper no one else but Bilbo Baggins came after us. He ran to the white haired Balin and and breathlessly held out the paper to him

"Here, I signed it!" Hands on knees and trying to catch his breath Bilbo waited until Balin had checked the signature.

"All seems in order!" the old dwarf declared.

Thorin, who had sat through the episode like a statue, couldn't have cared less. "Give him a pony," he ordered with thinly veiled contempt and rode on.

"No, no! That won't be necessary!" Bilbo protested found himself unceremoniously lifted from his feet by passing Fili and Kili and was being sat on the last riderless pony, a sweet little thing called Myrtle, where he did his best to stay in the saddle and was about as comfortable as a fish out of water.

A minute later little pouches of money were flying through the air. The dwarfs were paying up or collecting their winnings. Gandalf told a confused hobbit why and expertly caught his share out of the blue.

We rode without much of a break until late afternoon. Kili and Fili had been sent ahead to scout for a good place to make camp and they led us to a sheltered plateau overlooking a deep ravine on one side and shielded by a huge disc like formation of rock on the other.

I volunteered to help with the horses and for the first time that day found myself almost alone with Kili. Almost, because Fili was there with us. But he turned a blind eye and I was dragged behind a bush and assaulted in the most exciting manner by a very agitated Kili. The butterflies somersaulted in my stomach and I wondered; would his kisses ever stop to taste so sweet? Would I ever not turn to mush the moment he had his hands on me? I would have loved to rip his clothes of right there and then but of course that was out of question. Frustrated with the amount of protective garments that were between us I pulled him in for another kiss.

"That ain't no way to treat a lady," I scolded him. His face fell.

"I know you deserve so much better than a few stolen kisses behind ….." I shut him up by stealing another kiss.

"That's not what I meant silly. I'd choose stolen kisses behind shrubbery above no kisses at all at any given time! I only wish I could get through your clothes in like under an hour!"

The smile was back on. "You shall have your wicked ways with me again, I promise!"

Just then Fili whistled and fast as lightning Kili was on the appropriate side of the bush and I would have given a lot for a cold shower.

Fili thought my flushed face and silent swearing hilarious. I balled my hands to fists and stamped a foot on the ground. "Tell me you whistled just for the fun of it and I will set your braids on fire!"

He raised his hands in defense and pointed to where Kili was having an argument with the fierce looking warrior dwarf I had learned was called Dwalin. "Sorry," I huffed, " I had not meant to be mad at you. I should thank you instead."

"At your service," he bowed mockingly and winked, still laughing.

We unsaddled the ponies and that's when I noticed a bow being strapped to Fili's bags. Unlike Kili, who always kept his bow and arrows as close by as possible, I had never seen Fili carry one before.

I took it, not even the string had been tightened. Without having to think about it, my fingers moved to get the fine looking weapon ready for action. Fili, who had been rubbing down Thorin's ride with bundles of dry grass stopped what he was doing. "Got any more surprises for us?"

I made a face to say, let's find out, and pulled the string. It was hard but doable and I let it snap from my fingers, imitating the sound of a flying arrow. A feather tickled my cheek and a real arrow slowly appeared in my line of vision over my shoulder.

"Come on, love. Show us what you got," Kili's voice vibrated low in my ear, his hair caressing the side of my face. My knees went weak but I took the arrow and scanned the area for a target. I found it in form of a pine cone hanging from a tree not too far away.

Aim, inhale, shoot, strike, exhale, grin like an idiot. Yep, that works!

When I looked back, Kili had gone to stand with his brother. They were whispering furiously, then having come to a decision presented me with it.

"You keep the bow as I am a lousy shot." Fili announced. "Now we have two archers in the company. Uncle will be pleased." With that he hung the quiver over my shoulder and went on with his job at hand. I doubted that anything having to do with me would please "uncle" but Kili's proud smile was all the reward I wanted anyway.

Leaving the horses grazing contently we returned to the campsite where the enormous Bombur was in charge of preparing dinner. To pass the time I suggested a little game of "name the dwarf" to help me remember their names. The guys, well, most of them anyway, obliged happily. One would shout a name and I had to point at the right dwarf. My score went up considerably after the first few rounds and it was good fun. The dwarfs were a merry bunch and jokes and good natured teasing had to be endured by and from everyone until dinner was finally ready.

After dinner everybody tried to get comfortable around the low burning fire. I longed to be close to Kili but remembering how we had woken up the first morning in the woods I did not trust myself and choose a spot near Gandalf and Bilbo.

The hobbit was unusually quiet. He soon fell asleep but I was still wide awake, listening to quiet conversations, the crackling of the fire and not always remote snoring. Also, from where I was lying, I could watch Kili and Fili who were still up, smoking and chatting quietly. My heart went out to them. The strong bond between the brothers so obvious it was almost visible.

An extra loud snore startled Bilbo and he sat up, looking about him as if to remember where he was and how he'd gotten there. I sure did know how that felt...

Suddenly a horrible howl pierced the night, causing everybody to freeze and listen. "What was that?!" the hobbit asked alarmed.

"Orcs," Kili told him gravely.

"Orcs?" Bilbo seemed shaken.

"Throat cutters," Fili kindly enlightened him further. Personally I thought he was not helping.

"There must be dozens out there. The lowlands are swarming with them." No, he definitely wasn't helping but they were not quite done yet.

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep. Quiet and quick. No screams, just lot's of blood." And thank you, too, Kili. The love of my life turned to his brother, hiding his laugh behind a curtain of hair.

"You think that is funny?" Thorin clearly did not think so. "You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?" he raised his voice and glared angrily at his nephews.

Kili's expression turned to one of shame. "We did not mean anything by it," he apologized.

"Of course you didn't. You know nothing of the world," Thorin spat and went to gaze over the ravine.

"Don't mind him laddie," Balin's kind voice broke the ensuing silence. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs." And he retold the story of how a pale orc named Azog had slain Thorin's grandfather and had driven his father mad with grieve and how in the course of the same battle Thorin, protected only by a thick branch of oak, managed to hack of the orc's hand with his sword. His bravery had turned the battle around, made the already retreating dwarfs attack anew and drive the army of orcs back that day. From that day on, Balin explained, he had know that if there was one man we could follow, one man that he could still call king, it was Thorin Oakenshield.

The story could not have been news to anyone but Bilbo and me and yet all of the men listened in great earnest.

The man in question had remained still. Only when Balin had finished he turned and faced the company. The story had moved me and I looked at Thorin with new respect but it still sounded like a fairytale to me. I could not really picture any of my companions on a battlefield, hacking away at enemies, chopping off arms and legs and heads. A few words were exchanged between Bilbo and Thorin and the latter wandered off into the night.

I tried to catch Kili's attention and when I did he sent an encouraging smile but the vibes I got were more of concern. More than ever I longed to be enfolded in his arms and with a sigh I mouthed a silent 'good night' and tried to get some sleep at last. Thankfully there were no more disturbances that night.

After a frugal breakfast we packed and continued on our way. Half an hour into the day's journey heavy rain started to fall and darkened everybody's mood, to put it politely.

By afternoon the rain had stopped and soaking wet we reached an abandoned homestead, where Thorin decided we should stay for the night, against Gandalf's firm advise to carry on to the hidden valley, where we could expect to find shelter, food and advise from Lord Elrond.

A shouting match between the Gandalf and Thorin resulted in an enraged wizard storming off on Windstalker, "To seek the company of the only one with some sense around here!" allegedly himself. He must have forgotten that I was around...

"Will he come back?" Bilbo asked timidly, nobody risked even an educated guess.

Thorin did not seem fazed by any of it. He ordered Bombur to start cooking.

Fili and Kili were on horse duty again and when Bilbo was asked to "bring the lads" their share I went with him. We found the brothers standing stock still, staring at the place where the ponies had been left. "What's the matter?" the hobbit asked. They kept on staring.

"We were supposed to be looking after the ponies," Kili explained.

"Only we have encountered a small problem," Fili continued. Fact was, they were two ponies short. And what was more, some of the trees seemed to have been knocked over, as if they had a serious run in with a tornado.

They moved closer to investigate. Bilbo, bowls still in hand, followed them. I stayed put and could not help but wonder how exactly they could have missed something that uprooted half a dozen trees and made two ponies disappear. What on earth had they been doing?

That's when I heard it. Something huge moved through the forest, grunted disgustingly , accompanied by the terrified whinnying of horses. I could not move. I could not scream, I could not even breathe. An enormous, monstrously ugly being shoved past me, carrying an unlucky pony under each arm. Paralyzed by shock I was still frozen to the spot when Kili appeared next to me. "Dalan! Dalan!" he snapped his fingers in front of my face. Mouth hanging open I slowly turned to him. "D-d-d-did you s-s-s-see that?!"

"Of course I saw it, it's a bit too big to miss. You have to go and alert the others. Now!" Still unblinking I stared at him. "Dalan," he shook me. "Please, run! I need you to go now!" He kissed me hard and quick and was gone.

Kili's kiss had stunned me out of my stupor somehow, at least to a point where the body was functioning again, even if my mind was a bit late. I dashed back to the camp. Stumbling over a rock I landed gracelessly at the feet of Thorin Oakenshield.

"There..." I gasped and pointed in the direction from which i'd come. "Huge, ugly things...stealing ponies! Bilbo, Fili...Kili...!" Not very eloquent but it did the trick.

"Dwalin, get the men together!" he shouted and in mere seconds everyone was ready and armed. I scramble up to follow them but Thorin held me back. "Find Gandalf!" he hissed. "Quick!" Not waiting to see that I did but sure that I would follow his order he ran after his men.

"Go and find Gandalf, right." A wizard seemed a good idea in this situation but where for crying out loud was I supposed to find one?

I looked around the deserted camp, suddenly feeling very lonely. What if one of those creatures showed up here? Hiding was no option, I had to find Gandalf and 'quick'. My gaze fell on the bow Fili had given me. Was I to defend myself with tiny arrows against those giants? A piece of wood exploded in the fire and I jumped. Then I looked at the bow again and back at the fire and I knew what I had to do.

A few minutes later I was shooting the first burning arrow into the night sky. It's tip I had wrapped in pieces of cloth and dipped into the frying pan to make the flames as big as possible. I had pulled the bow with all my strength and watched the arrow ascend, urging it to fly higher and higher. All too quick it reached it's zenith and fell back to earth. Up went the next. If I was to cause a forest fire, all the better.

I forced myself to wait a little between arrows but thinking of the danger everybody must be in my patience wore thin. Way too soon I was holding the last of my burning missiles in hand. I followed it's progress through the darkness and then there was nothing left for me to do but wait. So hard was I wishing to hear the pounding of hooves indicating that help was on it's way that at first I did not even realize it was real. Gandalf had returned.

Sobbing with relieve I ran to him and told him what I knew. He did not take the time to answer but raced off, leaving me behind, too. Not daring to stumble through the night alone I huddled close to the fire, hugged my knees and tried to convince myself that everything was going to be alright. An eternity seemed to have gone by when I heard Kili calling my name and then he was beside me and pulled me into his arms, almost crushing my ribcage again.

"You are alright," he whispered again and again, stroking my hair, kissing my face and rocking me back and forth. A moment later Fili was there, too, crouching down beside us, his eyes glimmering with concern for me and for Kili's strong reaction to my state.

"Is everybody ok?" I asked. "Are you all well and save?"

"Still all in one piece," Fili grinned.

"Where are the others? Shouldn't we be more careful?" I asked Kili even though I was not ready to let go of him yet.

"They went to check out the troll cave, they will be a while," Fili explained.

"What happened back there? What are those creatures?" Taking turns they filled me in and more than once I wished I had not asked. But now that the danger was over they seemed delighted to relive their close encounter with death.

"And so we all shouted that we were riddled with huge parasites and they got really mad but at that moment Gandalf appeared at the scene." Fili was excited like a child on Christmas eve.

"And he hit a rock with his staff, causing it to split and a large beam of light turned the trolls to stone." Kili finished the story.

"And even if he had not come, I was just about to break free and finish them off myself!" Fili needed to have the last word. I had not thought it possible but he actually made me laugh.

I elbowed him lightly. "I am sure you'd have!"

My head hurt from trying to process what I'd seen, my arm and shoulder hurt from pulling the bow so hard and I was exhausted from anguish but more than anything I was glad that Kili was unharmed and had his arms around me, while his brother was trying to cheer me up. In the middle of all this madness, I felt happy.


	5. Chapter 5

Not long hereafter a noisy crowd of dwarfs returned to the camp, arms full with shiny objects and seemingly mighty pleased with themselves. They must have thoroughly raided the troll's cave and nobody seemed much troubled by the fact that they had a very narrow escape from becoming a roast breakfast for nightmarish giants. Kili reluctantly let go of me but did not move away. The three of us watched the merry group comparing their loot. Even Bilbo had a small sword in hand, holding it more like an umbrella than the weapon it was.

Thorin went straight to us and studied our sitting arrangement with the usual disapproving glare, yet what he said had nothing to do with it. "Gandalf told me what you did." Surprised be his almost mild tone I looked to meet his eyes but he was unreadable as ever. "That was clever." After glaring at his nephews once more to make what ever point he wanted to make, he went back to the wizard who nodded lightly with an affectioned smile. All eyes were on our little group now and I did not enjoy the attention. "What did you do?" Kili demanded to know? "What's she done?" Fili backed the tune.

"The lass shot burning arrows in the air to alert Gandalf, is why he came back!" " One clever lassie, that one!" "Might well have saved our hides!" The choir chimed in. Talk about embarrassing but then again it did feel nice to be appreciated. Fili and Kili looked at each other too perplexed to speak than hugged me in front of everybody. "And when were you gonna tell us?!"

We still had a couple of hours before we'd be leaving and the camp settled. For the dwarfs that night soon would be no more than another story to be told around another campfire, for me it was not as easy to come to terms with. I would have liked a few words with Gandalf but he had disappeared again, it seemed to be a habit with him. Thorin sat in deep conversation with Balin and Dwalin and I wasn't sure if I had the nerve to approach him over something as mundane as my troubled mind. Bilbo lay curled up like a child and seemed fast asleep, how he did that was beyond me but I did envy him. So I turned to the person dearest to my heart.

Kili and his brother were busy cleaning and sorting through their weapons. "Dalan! Come sit!" Fili moved to make room for me between the two of them. Instantly I felt better. "Here," my love handed me a bundle of arrows from his supply. "We will make more when we get the chance but for the time being you'll have to make do with those." I took them and played with the feathery ends, not sure how to begin. "What is it?" Brown eyes bore into my blue.

'How I want to throw my arms around you and get lost in your kisses and caresses...besides that...FOCUS! oh, yes!' - " Those creatures...tonight..."

"They can't hurt you anymore, ever." Kili was quick to reassure me.

"No, I know. It's just...tell me what else is out there."

Fili put down the sword he had been polishing. "That does not really make for a good bedtime story."

"Well, we are not going to bed, are we?" I may have sounded a bit harsher than usually.

Kili lifted a hand as if to take mine but thought better of it and ran it through his hair. "There are many foul things who haunt middle earth," he began carefully, "but normally they do not wander far from the places they spring from and can be avoided. The greatest pest to torment the land though are orcs. Thorin was right, they are nothing to joke about. Some say that they were elves who have been corrupted by evil but no one really knows where they are coming from or how they breed. Orcs are ugly, full of hate and all they want is to destroy and kill. But they are slow and daft, their strength lies in numbers. They will follow a leader's command but besides that they are witless and quite easy to defeat. The orc captains on the other hand are strong and cunning. Driven by pure hate they will not stop until the enemy is slain and mutilated. They crave the terror and fear they inflict and they feast on flesh. Any flesh and they would not bother to marinate and roast it either."

Sounded charming. "And do you think we will come across any of them?"

A brotherly look was being exchanged. "It is almost impossible not to, these days," Fili admitted. "They seem to have multiplied and more and more of them have been seen patrolling the lands of lately."

"Has anyone ever tried to talk to them?"

Another brotherly look, then both exploded with laughter.

Heads turned, eyebrows were raised. "What's so funny?" Bofur who was closest to us wanted to know.

"She says we should try and talk to the orcs!" Kili gasped.

Poor Bilbo's slumber was disturbed yet again by the roaring laughter of a dozen dwarfs. I swear, even Thorin sniggered. I was much tempted to stick my tongue out at each and every one of them but restrained myself to just sitting there, arms crossed and sulking. Evil, evil dwarfs.

I was still sulking when we finally got ready to leave. Thorin, defying Gandalf again, decided we should head north. Mumbling into his beard Gandalf busied himself with his bags. Bilbo seemed even more subdued and smaller this morning. I knew Thorin was giving him a hard time and made him feel useless and a burden and I felt sorry for him.

Kili and Fili had told me about Bilbo's clever tactics to win time with the trolls and I thought him very brave and much more responsible for the happy end of that episode than I had been. After all I hadn't been manhandled by giants who threatened to tear the limbs from my body and turn me into a snack. All I had done was shooting a few arrows in the air, from a save distance, mind you. I told him so and was rewarded by an embarrassed little smile.

"I believe I was too terrified to be scared," he admitted. Surprisingly that made perfect sense to me.

Just then somebody shouted: "Someone's coming!" Weapons in hand and ready to fight the dwarfs formed a loose circle scanning the woods for danger. With a loud crash and bang it landed right in our middle but fortunately it was far more strange than dangerous.

A bunch of very big, powerful looking rabbits pulling a wooden sleigh had come to a halt before us and a funny looking man in ragged, dirty brown clothes with a felt hat, his face hardly visible under a wild mass of hair and beard was greeted by Gandalf: "Radagast!"

The upset looking visitor dragged Gandalf out of earshot and started talking to him, grimacing and gesturing like mad. "Who is that?" I whispered, not ready to risk another faux pas just yet and send everybody into the next laughing fit.

"That is Radagast, the Brown," Kili explained. "One of the five wizards to keep a watchful eye on middle earth." Aha. He had not relaxed much, his own watchful eyes still on the surrounding trees. None of them had, I noticed. Even the rabbits seemed nervous. As it turned out they had every reason to be.

Howling, much like the one we had heard two nights ago filled the air and had everyone standing to attention.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked clearly shaken.

"That is not a wolf," answered Bofur and was proven right by a massive beast ten times the size of a wolf and fangs longer than my fingers growled behind us and stepping out between two trees charged without a moment's hesitation. Thorin struck it down with his sword while Kili already shot a second beast that had sneaked up from the other side. It fell and was finished off by Balin.

"Warg scouts," Thorin drew his blade from the massive body at his feet. "Which means an orc pack is not far behind."

"We have to get out," Dwalin had my vote.

"We can't!" Ori cried, "we don't have ponies, they bolted!" Clever animals, I was tempted to do the same.

"I'll draw them off!" Radagast the Brown was in much better spirits since he had been talking to Gandalf, who was not convinced. "Those are Gundabad Wargs, they will outrun you."

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits," the funny looking wizard replied with pride. He seemed to have grown a foot or two. "I'd like to see them try."

A minute later Radagast was shooting out of the woods like a madman on a sleigh pulled by giant hares and being chased after by a dishearteningly large pack of wolf-mutants who carried riders. Ugly riders, with gray skin, full of scars and warts and every imaginable disfigurement.

"You gotta be kidding me!" But nobody was. We all ran fast as we could, using rocks, trees, hollows in the ground for cover, trying to stay clear of the wild chase out on the open plain. Radagast and his rabbits did a great job but there came the moment when we were all huddled under a large overhangigng rock, very much aware of a warg plus rider right over our heads.

Nobody made a sound I only hoped my heartbeat would not betray us. Thorin looked to Kili, signalling him with his eyes to take the enemy out. A breath later Kili had jumped out of the cover, aimed and shot two arrows into orc and warg. Beast and rider fell down to where we stood but were not dead yet.

Their screams before the were silenced forever alerted the rest of the hunting band who now regrouped and were closing in on their new prey - us.

There was nothing else we could do but keep running.

"Still want to invite them for tea?" Even now Fili could not stop his teasing.

"Think I'll pass," I panted.

"More are coming!" Kili shouted from not far behind. Wargs were gaining ground from all sides.

"Kili!" Thorin yelled. "Shoot them!"

My love alone against that bloodthirsty horde? No way. Yet he stopped and in quick succession felled three of them. Without thinking, and how Bilbo had put it "too terrified to be scared" I ran to him, bow at the ready. Being the eyes on his back I aimed for the rabid beasts coming in range of my arrows.

It was easy after the first shot. I terminated a few more and realized Kili had not lied. They were savage, brainless, ugly and surprisingly easy to kill. So I did.

But there were simply too many of them and even though we were not wasting any shots we were running out of arrows. Just when I lost hope we heard Thorin yell again. The incredible Gandalf had found an escape route in form of a tunnel in the middle of nowhere. While our friends jumped into the tunnel we were still trying to keep the attackers away from them until Thorin shouted again: "RUN!"

Kili practically threw me down the tunnel's entrance and jumped after me, with Thorin coming last. The orcs gathered around the hole grunting and howling then there suddenly was another sound. Pounding hooves, the clang of steel hitting steel, screeches and a dead orc landing at our feet indicated that things were not going all that smoothly for our pursuers. Thorin plucked the arrow from the corpse and looked at it with open disgust. "Elves." He sounded as if he'd rather had us all killed by orcs than being rescued by elves. Next he glared at Gandalf as if to say: " You had it all planned!" But maybe I misread him.

We followed the tunnel and and had not far to go until we reached the end of it. It opened into a wide valley with waterfalls, ancient trees and the most beautiful buildings, blending into the surrounding countryside as if they were one, giving an overall impression of peace and harmony that was a sight for my sore eyes.

Rivendell, the hidden valley. Hm, maybe Thorin had not been all wrong about Gandalf.

I tuned the ensuing bickering between the two out, fascinated by the overwhelming beauty around me.

We were being met by sort of a welcoming committee that did not seem all too welcoming. But of course the dwarfs were more than reluctant guests, too.

More elves were arriving on horseback, amongst them a man who turned out to be their leader, Lord Elrond, a stunning figure with a calm voice and regal baring. He welcomed Gandalf like an old and well liked friend and things could have gone real smoothly if not for Thorin's downright insolent behaviour. After an interesting display of two alpha males marking their respective territories it was decided that we would accept the elven lord's hospitality; until further notice.

We were lead to an outer part of Lord Elrond's palace and only when a gorgeous elf girl had shown me my room and left me to it did I realized that I had not uttered a single word since we had reached the end of that tunnel.

And I was still in awe. My room was spacious, flooded with light from a wide glass door leading onto a small balcony with a view well over the whole valley. Soft, silky curtains and covers on the bed, white simple but elegant furniture and even a private bathroom was there! I clapped my hands together in delight and I may have even squealed a bit. Torn between the urge to indulge in the luxury of the bathroom and the wish to enjoy the beautiful view from the balcony I did a full turn and my eyes fell on the large, inviting looking bed and I remembered something, or somebody, to be correct, and I knew what I wanted most. I only had to go find it!

Out in the corridor I was faced with a problem: too many doors and Kili could be behind any of them. Closing my eyes in frustration did not help. I envisioned him with me, kissing me with that fire but all I seemed to achieve was to increase my longing and I was still standing in an empty hall, aching for a man I could not locate.

I was just about ready to start banging on all the doors when one at the far end opened and Kili stuck his head out. Spotting me he grinned, slipped out and quickly walked towards me.

Grabbing the opportunity and his hands I pulled him along to my chamber, shoved him in, closed the door and found myself up against it the same moment.

"I have missed you," he sighed between kisses.

"Not more than I you," I moaned back, noticing that he had left a considerable amount of clothes back in his room.

"What if somebody comes looking for you?" I asked during a break to get some air.

"Fili is covering for me. What if someone calls in on you?" He murmured, tracing my neck with his mouth.

"I am not in." Too much talk, not enough kissing.

Now where had his shirt disappeared to? And why did I have mine still on? Well, that could be helped. And then finally, skin on skin, breath on breath, body to body. It was getting harder to form a thought but seeing that I was still up against a door and the lovely looking bed was still unoccupied I really made an effort. "Kili! Kili stop! Stop it!"

"What?" The bewildered uncomprehending look he gave me was priceless! "That, silly!" I pointed over his shoulder to the bed.

Understanding dawned and his grin became positively dirty. I pushed him and he pulled me and in a tangle of arms and legs we collapsed on the soft cushions and blankets. Boots, trousers, skirt and all else went flying into different corners and then it was just us. His strong fingers kneaded the flesh of my back, working their way down to my buttocks and kissing me as if he wanted to swallow me whole he rolled me around so he was on top of me. Things were getting increasingly interesting when loud banging on the door reminded me of the fact that in this blasted land it was impossible to go about one's business without being interrupted. Kili did not move but his face said he was ready to kill whoever was outside. I held him fast. "Shhh, told you, I am not in!"

"Dalan!" Gandalf, the master of timing, why was I not surprised. Remembering that the door had neither lock nor key I wondered what he would make of the scene if he had the actual nerve to come in. But he didn't. "Dalan, Lord Elrond would like to see you when you are done with your toilet. Oh, and by the way, there is a spell on the door so it will only open from inside while you are there so rest assured that none of our wandering dwarfs will stumble into your chamber by accident. Don't be late!"

Stifling a laugh I buried my face in Kili's hair. "That wizards never ceases to amaze me," I told him.

"You are pretty amazing yourself, you know," he replied hoarsely and with one swift motion was inside of me.

I cried out with pleasure and held him even tighter. "As are you, my love."

Be it because we thought we did not have much time, be it because of the adrenaline from the earlier battle still circulating in our blood, we were clinging to each other as if there was no tomorrow. No playful teasing and gentle exploring this time, it was more of laying claim to each other. I got drunk on the scent of him and even though I held him as close as possible it still wasn't enough. Under his skin was were I wanted to be and I presses harder and harder against him and he did not give.

Fingers weaved into mine, mouths drinking each others breath, chest on chest, belly to belly, legs entwined, every possible inch of his body touching mine, he did not even lift his hips, only tried to get deeper and deeper and when release washed over us like a tidal wave it felt as we we were truly one.

He bit down on my shoulder to silence a scream and the combined sensation of lust and pain made me dig my nails into his back until I drew blood. Seeing my bloody fingers I liked them clean without thinking. He took my hand and held it between us against his chest. I could not think of anything else to say. Everything seemed inadequate and lame. Eyes wide open I drank him in with all senses still working overtime.

His lovely face with those eyes still a bit hazy with passion, the friction of his skin against mine, the taste of his sweet mouth...

It the world had ended that moment I would have said yes, my life has been everything I have ever wished for. But it didn't end just yet and life still had a few things to offer that I would not say no to.

An idea had begun to form in my mind.

With difficulty I untangled myself from Kili, only holding on to his hands and got out of bed. "Come!" He was not happy about having to go anywhere but I insisted. "Come on, you won't regret it, I promise!" I led him across the room. "What now? You got a taste for the door again?"

"Ah, as alluring as that sounds let's leave the door thing for the moment. I have a much better idea."

The bathroom was separated from the suite by a silken curtain. It was large by any standards with a wash basin, mirrors, toiletries and even a divan but the main attraction was a round basin by the wall. The marble tub was constantly being fed with fresh – warm ! – water from a little faucet in the wall. I reckoned there must be hot springs somewhere and the elves had developed a system to direct the water into those parts of the palace where it was required. A most impressive and at the same time simple system to ensure the luxury of having warm water at one's disposal when wanted. And I really wanted a bath.

Kili did not hide his surprise. "What are we doing in here?" Obviously he had not realized what potential this amazing set up held. I stepped into the tub, pulling him along. "Dwarfs are not overly fond of water," he hesitated. "I wager 50 coins that I can make you love it." "You don't have 50 coins." He pointed out cheekily.

"So I have to make sure to win that bet, won't I?"

His smile said that he was up for the challenge.

Reclining into the warm and welcoming water with a deep sigh of satisfaction I pulled him down beside me and relished the moment. Dipping my head back to wet my hair I heard him say: "Not convinced yet." He sat there pouting and looking utterly out of place but the way he watched me said he was putting on an act.

"Dive down!" I ordered. "What?" "Head in, like I just did. Go on!" He indulged me even though it was clearly not his idea of having great fun and came back up with strands of wet hair all over his face. The sight alone was enough to make me want to latch onto him like a starving leech but I told my inner beast to sit. It obeyed, grudgingly. Straddling him I picked strands of wet hair from his stubble. "That is more like it," he agreed and held me around the waist . "Not just yet, my impatient dwarf," I burst his bubble.

On a shelve next to the faucet in the wall there was a large selection of little flasks and small jars and after having checked a few contents I choose a discreetly scented blue one. Female instinct told me it was just the right thing. Rubbing some of the blue gel between my palms it produced a thick, creamy foam that I spread on his chest and worked all over his upper body.

At first he seemed slightly bewildered by my treatment but from where I was sitting it was easy to detect that he was slowly warming to the on goings.

He bent his head and lifted his arms to grant me access to where ever my hands moved in slow circles.

By the time I rinsed the soap from his body, his head rested on the rim of the marble basin and his eyes were closed. All pretense of not caring about any of this gone.

God, he looked so delicious, it hurt! My inner beast was pulling at it's chain. He heard my quiet moan and looked at me, eyes only half open. "That was it?"

Evil, evil, evil dwarf!

"A gentleman would return the favour, you know." Lazily he sat up, looked around and realizing that he was actually the closest thing to a gentleman in the near vicinity he held out his hand for me to pour some soap then took his own sweet time to produce foam. "Now where to begin?" he contemplated with a thoughtful smile as if my rock hard nipples right in front of him were not enough of an indicator. He eyed them with interest but decided, "No," and put his hands in my hair instead. I frowned disbelievingly and was offered a lascivious grin. "We don't want to spoil that taste." Then his mouth was on me, suckling, nibbling and licking making me squeal with pleasure. Unable to sit still any longer I let the beastie loose to chase after the butterflies and my body moved on it's on accord. It did not take long for us to turn the formerly quiet basin into a whirlpool.

Still, water does not allow for frantic shagging and with slow deliberate movements we celebrated our bathroom escapade until we could be absolutely certain that every crack and crevice of our bodies had received the utmost care and was properly cleaned.

Spent and languidly splashing we were still sharing kisses when the doorbell rang again, in a manner of speaking. Fast and urgent knocking catapulted us back to reality.

"By Durin's beard! How long have we been in here?" Kili emerged out of our tiny sea of love and shook his wet hair like a dog. Remembering Gandalf's earlier order of 'don't be late' inner beastie and the butterflies decided to go for a stroll elsewhere and I quickly rinsed residue of soap from my hair and followed my dripping delight out of the tub.

"I have no idea. Somewhere between a couple of hours and a week." wrapping myself in a large linen sheet I pushed every thought of drying Kili slowly and thoroughly down myself firmly to the back of my mind. More urgent knocking made me dash to the door. "Who is it?"

"It's me! Where is Kili?" Quickly I opened the door and dragged a very agitated Fili inside. "Where is that scoundrel brother of mine?!" He demanded to know. I was spared having to answer that as Kili stepped through the curtain in all his glory. "What on...what in...what have you two been doing in there?" I bit down on my lip.

"No," Fili threw up his hands in defense. "Forget it, don't wanna know. Move, you!" He pointed an accusing finger at Kili who was putting on his pants and shirt. "Everybody is waiting for us downstairs. I was running out of excuses an hour ago!" Kili only shrugged and grabbed the rest of his things. He offered me a sweet smile. "You have won that bet." Fili's looks darted between me and his brother. "A bet? What bet? Never mind." he opened the door and shoved his brother through it. "Go get dressed properly and hurry up!"

He then turned to me, accusing finger back in place. "I am only upholding my end of the deal," I informed him before he could say anything. "Are you now. Well, you should...you shouldn't...aaahhh!" And out he was. But not fast enough. I had seen his grin before the door closed.

Ok then, deep breath, concentrate. In a chest of drawers I found lovely long sleeved loose robes of the finest making. They looked to be my size and when I tried them on it was just as well that I had not eaten much of late because the fabric hugged my body tightly. Finer than silk and softer than velvet it shone in a rich, deep woodland green that I instantly loved. Untangling my hair with the combs and brushes by the mirror I really began to dig that elven lifestyle. Soft leather boots completed my new outfit. I admired myself in the mirror. Not that great great aunt Bagginses woolen skirt was something to look down on but hey, this was in a totally different league, this was classy!

A couple of minutes later I was on my way downstairs. The same girl that had shown me to the room earlier was waiting for me. If she thought I was being terribly late her face betrayed nothing. She asked me to follow her and led me to a secluded little terrace in another part of the palace where Gandalf and Lord Elrond were sitting at a table studying a map between them. At my arrival the wizard folded it up and stored it in one of the countless hidden pockets of his gray coat.

Lord Elrond stood up to welcome me. From close up he was even more impressive. Tall and lean, with a face that was neither young nor old but his gray eyes seemed as old as the world as they looked at me with kindness. His long, chestnut brown hair was being kept in place by a silver circlet around his head.

Unlike other royalty I had met lately he was also polite and bade me to sit down. He studied me with interest but without being obtrusive.

"I hope your rooms are to your liking and you had a good rest?" he inquired. I actually felt my cheeks blush a little. "Oh yes, very good. Everything was very good, " I assured him, picking non existent crumbs from my dress to avoid his intense gaze. Gandalf intently watched a flock of bird flying by overhead but the elf lord seemed satisfied with my answer.

"Gandalf has told me your story," he continued. 'What version of it?' I could not help wonder.

"You have spoken of many intriguing things that neither of us has ever heard of before. It is my wish to hear more about the wonders of the world you remember and maybe in the course of that we will be able to unlock what you do not recall now. I understand that you have been through some turbulent times so I suggest you enjoy the beauty and peace of our home for a few days. Let the soul catch up with the body and give them a chance to reunite." Lord Elrond folded his hands on the table and looked at me expectantly.

"I would like that very much but..." But what? That had been the plan all along, hadn't it, to bring me to Rivendell, see if they could restore my memories. The lord of the valley was still waiting for my answer. I turned to Gandalf for help but none came.

"What about Bilbo and the dwarfs?" I asked. "Will they be staying, too?"

"Thorin's company will do what they feel they need to do," Gandalf answered cryptically.

"But if they go I..." I what? I had to trot after them? "It is not your fight, my dear." Gandalf reminded me. "What if I want to make it my fight?" The great wizard did not reply to that. Lord Elrond took command of the situation. "Decisions should not be made on an empty stomach. Come my friends!"Relieved that I had won some time I followed the two men.

It would not have been difficult to find the place where the company was having dinner even without the help of a wizard and our host. One only had to follow the noise.

They had made a total mess of the two dining tables they were sitting at, food was being thrown from one table to the other, the floor littered by vegetables and other stuff they did not find edible. I joined the jolly crowd at Balin's table while Elrond and Gandalf went to sit with Thorin a little further away from flying food and deafening laughter. I was greeted by whistles and cheering due to my change of style. They also seemed to like what they saw. It felt good to be back with the boys.

"Come sit over here lass," Nori shouted, "your good looks are wasted on that lot there!" "Thank you very much but some of us do know to appreciate a fair lady!" Gloin yelled back. "Guess what," Bofur cried, " we found out that Kili fancies elf lads!" "Does he now?" I asked with a curious smile, leaning forward to look past Fili and Gloin who sat between us, at the freshly outed dwarf who was squirming on his seat.

"I thought he was a girl," he tried to defend himself then realizing he was not actually helping his cause he shut up. "He still does not know the difference!" screamed Nori and both tables erupted with laughter. Next to me Fili whispered: "And here I was thinking he'd just had a long lesson on that subject." "Guess I'll have to put him in detention for not paying attention, make sure he does his homework," I whispered back smiling pleasantly. He squinted. "Woman, you are wicked!" "You have no idea," I said smugly and salvaged some of the food for my plate.

Shortly after the dinner party broke up. Gandalf and Elrond left together, Bilbo had gone for a walk in the gardens and Thorin came to collect his nephews for a little chit chat. Kili, who looked smashing in an indigo blue leather coat sneaked me a helpless glance. I watched him go with a burning heart. Bofur, leaving the table with his brothers and the rest of the gang stopped behind me. "Come up later, lass, we will have some REAL food." They obviously were planning some sort of after show party. I nodded and he patted my back. "There's a good lass!"

I stayed a bit longer and chewed a few carrots, still thinking of what Elrond had offered me. I could not get to a decision, even with my stomach full. With every passing hour I felt more at home in this world. Sure, most things were still a mystery but I had had a crash course over the last few days and I was a fast learner. Every day this place became more real to me and what ever it was I'd left behind less important. But was I indeed only a fraction of myself as Gandalf had put it once before? And did it matter? What mattered were Kili, Fili and their friends. My thoughts were going round in circles. I needed to have a word with Gandalf in private.

Resolutely I got up, determined to find him. I strolled through the palace unhindered. Nobody seemed to have anything to hide, nothing seemed off limits. At every turn I came across the same beauty and harmony. When I finally found Gandalf he was standing on one of the many terraces of the palace and seemed to be on his own. I ran up the stairs and called him: "Gandalf, I need to speak with you, please!" He turned and needed a moment to focus, as if his mind had been far away.

"Dalan," he started, "this is not..." but a voice unlike any I had ever heard interrupted him.

"Who is your young friend Mithrandir?" A woman, dressed in a white flowing dress that shone like the moon stood a few feet away from him. "Gandalf's shoulders sagged.

"Dalan, meet the Lady Galadriel."

The lady turned with ethereal grace. Not only her dress was glowing but the whole figure emitted an energy and power that could only be described as angelic, bordering on divine. Her ocean blue eyes seemed to see right through me, to the core of my soul. If anybody would be able to pierce the iron walls holding my memories prisoner it would be her. I could almost feel her probing my mind. At one point her eyes seemed to widen but her features remained unmoved. At long last the apparition spoke. "This is extraordinary Mithrandir. Did you have knowledge of it?" "What do you mean my Lady?" he asked but she did not answer him. Instead I suddenly heard her voice right in my head, even though her lips were not moving. "A love so strong will always live. Do not fear separation, not by space, not by time." Then she spoke again, this time to both of us. "A bond has been forged in blood. It cannot be undone." With the tiniest dip of her head towards Gandalf she signaled her good bye and was gone.

I blinked, once, twice. She had simply vanished before my eyes.

"She...was she real?" Slightly dazed I turned to Gandalf.

"She is as real as the sun and the stars and the world we live in." The deep affection and admiration in his voice had me suspecting she was an old flame of his.

"What did she mean by a bond forged in blood?" I asked the wizard who still seemed lost in his own thoughts. "You tell me!" Suddenly he became all too focused. "What have you done?"

"Done? Why nothing, really."

He kept glaring.

"At least nothing out of the ordinary."

"And what, by Saruman's long nose is ordinary in your opinion!?"

"Are you asking me for details here?" I wasn't sure if I was ready to share those with him yet. Or ever.

"Yes," he barked, only to change his mind the next second. "No!" he did not have to look so disgusted when he said that, I thought. "Tell me only, was there any blood involved?" "Of course not! What are you taking me for?" He seemed relieved but then I remembered the scratch marks on Kili's back and the imprint of his teeth on my shoulder. "Eh...except for..."And I told him. His expression turned from anxious to grave.

"What is it?"

"I am not sure. We will find out soon enough." He replied and changed the subject. "Have you reached a decision yet?"

"That is what I wanted to talk to you about," I said. I believe I would have told him I'd go where Kili goes but after what Galadriel had said to me..."I think I am going to give it a try. For a couple of days at least."

"Good," he agreed, I will inform Lord Elrond." It sounded like I was being dismissed. "Thank you Gandalf. For everything." I truly meant it.

Making my way back to our guest quarters I was deeply in thoughts and almost bumped into Thorin Oakenshield when I turned a corner.

"You," he muttered. The peaceful and joyous atmosphere of our surroundings clearly had had no effect on his disposition. He was still his same cross and disgruntled self. "The elf is taking you in then?" I shrugged. "He invited me to stay."

His piercing eyes held mine for a moment. "You fared well." Maybe I had underestimated the power of the elven spirit, he was definitely mellowing. "I hope you will find what you have lost."

"I wish the same to you, Thorin Oakenshield."

He nodded curtly and marched off.

I continued down the corridor, listening for the inevitable noise that a dwarf party would entail. When I was sure I had found the right location I took a deep breath, braced myself and was just about to knock.

When the door opened from inside and the exact person I had been longing to see was in front of me. "Dalan! You called me?"

Actually no, I hadn't. "No but I have been looking for you." He shut the door behind him. "Come, we need to talk!" We made for my room and I sat down on the bed, smiling because I remembered what had happened here earlier.

"We are leaving," he said and my smile died a sudden death. "When?" "Tonight." "Tonight?! No! Why?" "Thorin has had enough of elves. He got the information he wanted and he is not willing to stay any longer."

"But ...no! Not tonight!" That was too fast! How could I say good bye to him like that? Nononononono! "Kili, I...we...no!" I could not think straight.

"You are staying," he stated flatly. I felt my eyes filling with tears. "I don't want to but everybody thinks it's for the best. I was ready to tell them that I don't care about my past anymore, that I wanted to come with you, like Bilbo does. Then this woman spoke to me and it effected me deeply so I agreed but now...Kili, hold me!" And he did.

"What woman?" He asked into my hair. "She seems to be an old friend of Gandalf's, another elf I believe. He called her Galadriel and she was the most amazing..." He grabbed my shoulders and looked at me with disbelieve. "You have met the Lady Galadriel?" He asked incredulously. "In a way. Do you know her?"

"Everybody knows OF her but I don't know anybody who has even heard of somebody who has actually seen her. And she spoke to you? What did she say?"

Her words were burned into my mind and I repeated them for Kili. His eyes seemed to light up at his private message to me but he frowned at the second part. "A bond forged in blood? But we didn't.."

I pulled the robe from my shoulder to show him again the mark he'd left there. "The scratches on your back..." I reminded him.

He softly touched the mark with his finger tips. "It is hard to imagine that such a little thing would be of any significance but I don't know much about such matters."

"It does not matter," I said and kissed him softly, "but what she said, do you believe it?"

"Yes," he answered solemnly. "I believe if I was a valley you would be the river to flow through me and give me life. And if I were a mountain you would be the diamond buried deep within me." He was quite the poet my dwarf of many talents. I felt the tears welling up again. "When will you go?"

We heard some scratching on the door, then: "Kili!"

"Now," he said as much to me as to the caller outside.

I did not want him to see me all teary and heartbroken so I put on a brave face even though it cost me dearly. "Kiss me one more time," I demanded.

It was more than a kiss. It was a promise that we would be together again and I heard as clearly as if he had said it loud. Then he got up and left without looking back and I could let my tears flow freely.

Exhausted and cried out I drifted off into a fitful sleep only to wake up with a heavy heart and puffy eyes. Sight of the bathroom did nothing to lift my spirit and I hurried out of there after splashing some water on my face.

The young woman from the previous night came to inform me that Lord Elrond and Gandalf were expecting me to join them for breakfast. Sighing I put on my pretty green dress. She sensed my distress and came closer. "Have you not slept well?"

"I've had better nights," I admitted.

"Please give me a moment." She went into the bathroom and came back with one of the little jars from the shelf by the tub. She unscrewed the top and dipped a long slender finger in. "Allow me!" she said, applied the cream around my eyes and rubbed it in with gentle but sure strokes. "There, much better." She stepped back to admire her work. I risked a look in the mirror and gaped at the remarkable change. The puffiness was gone and my skin shone healthier and clearer than I had ever deemed possible."Wow!" I exclaimed and made a mental note to pinch that little item when I was to check out of "Elevenday Inn".

"Thank you," I turned back to the waiting girl. "You have been so kind to me and I don't even know your name."

"I am Nuriel," she said and inclined her head in the most charming way. "Shall we go now, my lady?"

"I am called Dalan," I told her. Enough with the whole lady business.

"A lovely name," Nuriel commented as we were walking to yet another terrace.

Where other people had dining, meeting, living rooms, the elves seemed to believe in different terraces for various occasions. "What does it mean?" Nuriel asked me.

"What does what mean?" I was still pondering the terrace phenomenon and had not followed her trail of thoughts. "Your name, Dalan, does it have a meaning?"

"Oh, eh. Yes, sort of."

She looked at me expectantly.

"In full it's Dalan-da. It is dwarfen tongue for ….butterfly."

She did not laugh or betray any emotions. Contrary to dwarfs the elves were experts in hiding their feelings, I had already got that. "Whoever named you must hold you in high esteem. Dwarfs do not share their language with other races."

"I did not know that." I could not hide my smile at hearing that.

"Butterflies are lovely and enchanting creatures. They endure many hardships in their lives to be able to change into something uniquely beautiful and free. Whoever named you made a good choice."

We had reached our destination and Nuriel excused herself, bowing her head to Gandalf and Lord Elrond.

The breakfast table was laden with all sorts of fruit, veggies, bread, pies and drinks and despite my suspicion that my aching heart would not let me stomach any food, I found myself munching away on the assorted delicacies. When I felt I could not possibly eat a morsel more I looked up and met two pairs of eyes, watching me with obvious amusement. "Is anything the matter?"

"The company you have been keeping is beginning to show." Gandalf stated dryly. "You have developed the appetite of a dwarf."

Giggling I downed the last of my fancy smoothie. "Maybe but at least not their tastes!" I could well picture them and their outraged demands for meat and ham and bacon and sausages at a purely vegetarian breakfast buffet.

"Thank the Valar for small favours," Lord Elrond said only half jokingly and gently steered the conversation towards a topic of more interest to him.

I repeated everything I had already told Gandalf about the world as I remembered it. A world where elves, dwarfs and wizards only existed in fairy tales and myths. The elven lord asked many questions about the various cultures and believes and I answered them as detailed as I could. Yet the moment we touched on anything more personal I was at a complete loss. Impossible to name even the part of the world I came from, no notion of my favorite food, colour, taste in music, if I had any family, a job or how I had learned to use a knife or bow. What I did know was that the average human did not walk around with either of both in hand.

I spoke about science, inventions and that humans had been on the moon. That was actually the first time that both man looked at me with doubt. "I swear it!" I assured them and described the Apollo mission as fa recalled it. "Now why would anybody want to walk on the moon?" Lord Elrond seemed truly puzzled. "There is nothing up there."

"Oh," I said surprised, "so you know that?!"

"Of course I know that. I don't have to go up there to take a look around." I suppose he did have a point there.

"This has been a very interesting morning," Elrond finally sat back and folded his hands in his lap. "If it is your wish I will attempt to search your mind for the missing pieces. It will be done with utmost care for the mind is nothing to trifle with. We shall meet again tomorrow morning if you agree."

What else could I do.

"Very good," he stood, "please excuse me now, I have a few matters to attend to."

Gandalf had not taken any part in the conversation until now. He just sat there, smoking but listening intently. Now he laid his pipe on the table and his ageless blue eyes sought mine.

"I almost expected yo to be gone int the morning."

"It's not like I did not consider it," I admitted, staring towards the far horizon. "Do you know where they went to?"

"They will continue on their way to the Lonely Mountain, I have no doubt. Which is where I am planning to meet up with them in a few days time."

A wave of gratitude washed over me. He would not have told me that if he did not have the intention to let me come with him.

"Do you think Lord Elrond will have any luck with me?" I wondered.

"Elrond is a very experienced healer. There can't be many things that he has not seen or treated before." He was still studying me. "What is troubling you?"

"The Lady Galadriel..." He nodded for me to go on. "I am pretty sure that she knew exactly who I am and what has happened. Come to think of it, I am actually quite suspicious about you, too. Why would you not say anything?"

He did not even bother to deny it. "If that is what you believe, why wouldn't you ask?"

I shrugged. "I am not entirely sure I want to know."

"And why is that?"

"Even if I do remember, it's not like I can go back, right? If my life is to be lived here, why think about things I have left behind?"

"My child, it is not my place, or the Lady Galadriel's to make that decision for you. You are the one who will unlock those parts of your mind when you are ready. If Lord Elrond can help you do so then only because you accept his assistance. Your soul will know if it is willing to reveal the past or if it's best kept hidden for the time being." He stood. "Do not trouble yourself too much with those thoughts. I will see you later."

Easier said than done. What else did I have to think about but my shady past, my cloudy future and Kili, who's whereabouts I knew nothing about and who I missed with all my heart.

Closing my eyes I rubbed my face with both hands and ran them through my hair. When I next looked, Nuriel was standing in front of me. "I was wondering if you would like to come for a stroll through the gardens with me." She said with her silver voice.

"I would like nothing better!" I sighed. Well, I did actually but all those things were not on the menu so taking a stroll trough the splendid nature around the palace with this sweet girl sounded very much like the right thing to spend the rest of the afternoon with.

We strolled through the woods, sauntered over some fields and meandered along the clear stream at the bottom of the valley that was being fed by the numerous waterfalls cascading down the high walls surrounding Rivendell. Nuriel told me the names of many a plant and animal in eleven tongue, most of which I forgot again immediately but she also knew a lot about their healing qualities and I tried to commit all that information to memory. When we returned full circle to the castle I thanked her and told her that I had very much enjoyed myself.

"Your home is a small paradise on earth."

"I am sure Lord Elrond would not be opposed to your staying here if that was your wish."

"I am sure I could be very happy here," I said, "if only Kili was an elf!"

I had not meant to say that out loud but from her questioning look I understood that I had.

"Kili wouldn't be the person who gave you your name?"

"The very same," I nodded, studying my fingernails.

"And this person is dear to you?"

I sighed, not sure if I was to even speak about that with her. But what the heck, it wasn't very likely that they would ever meet again and I really wanted to talk about it with somebody! "Nothing and nobody could be dearer. He is everything to me." It felt so good to say those words! Almost like a normal girl in love with a normal guy and telling a friend about it.

"The light in your eyes tells me that your feelings are being returned. I am glad for you." She said but her tone was slightly odd and for the first time she seemed a bit uncertain.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I don't want to be importune and I am sure Lord Elrond would not condone my curiosity but if I may be so forthright, there has been some talk and I wondered if there was any truth in it."

"Talk? About me?"

Had somebody observed Kili sneaking into my room? Maybe the palace walls were seriously lacking sound insulation...

Putting on my most innocent face I encouraged her to tell me more. Nuriel looked around to see if there was anybody within earshot then pulled me down to sit on a wooden bench that had been carved from the root of a mighty oak tree by he path.

"There has been this incident last night at the dinner," she began carefully, "One of the younger dwarfs seemed to be impressed with my friend who was playing the harp."

"Yes, and?"

"He winked at her." The way she said it he might have well ripped the girls dress of in the middle of the dinner party. "My friend was quite shocked."

Boy, they must be living boring lives those young elves, I thought but Nuriel wasn't finished. "Shortly after that he expressed his interest in another friend who also entertained at the table. It was upsetting because the other dwarfs were very vocal about it. "

"And you are telling me this because...?"

She lowered her voice to a whisper: "I have seen this man coming out of your room."

Ah, here we go. I gave up my feigned indifference. "Why are you telling me this?" Now she studied her hands and would not met my eyes.

"If that is the man you love he should not be doing this. Show any interest in other women. Or men." She added with a little shudder. I could not help but laugh at that, which was not the reaction she had been expecting.

"Look," I turned to her and smiled, "it is called flirting. It is fun, it is common and it does not mean one does not know where ones true loyalties lie. I am actually glad that a red blooded, fun loving but occasionally thick headed dwarf recognizes beauty when he comes across it and even more so if he has the heart to acknowledge it in front of his peers who gave him nothing but a hard time for it." She was not convinced. "Please tell your friends that by no means did Kili intend to offend anyone. It was quite the compliment really!"

She mulled it over for a minute. "So you are married then." My snort was answer enough but I wanted to make the situation clear.

"We have met less than two weeks ago, we are a secret item as far as the company or the rest of the world is concerned and between my memory loss and injury and the fighting and his sneaking off to see me for inconvenient short intervals that we try to make the most use of, the right moment for a proposal just hasn't yet presented itself." And it bloody well never may, I added silently and huffed.

She finally looked at me again and her sweet melodic voice said: "The ways of men and dwarfs are much different to those of the elves." She was really making an effort to understand and I felt bad for having upset her.

"If it is any consolation, he thinks we have this we have this special connection that is very rare even among his people. Then there is Gandalf who has given us his blessing, more or less and last but not least your own Lady Galadriel who tells me we have forged a bond of blood. Plus, we have been together as man and woman so where marriages are concerned I guess it's safe to say we have just skipped the basics and headed straight for the very advanced class."

Her eyes had widened in surprise at the mention of Galadriel. That woman certainly had the most impressive effect on people. Nuriel visibly relaxed. "I am sorry for having been so forward. I should not have judged you or your love on the little that I knew."

"No need to apologize, I am glad you spoke to me." And I was. Doing something as ordinary as chatting with a friend was something I had not been doing until now. "Do you think we can be friends?"

I asked her timidly. She offered me one of her sweet smiles put her right on hand on her heart and bowed lightly. "Yes, we can be friends."

"Thank you, it means a lot to me!" I beamed. Curious to learn more about the girl who had just become my friend I asked: "Tell me, girlfriend, how old are you?"

"One thousand five hundred and seventy six years," she told me matter-of-factly.

It was my time to be shocked into silence. I blinked, once, twice, three times. "Come again?"

I remembered Gandalf saying that the elves lived to be very very old and were practically immortal if not for being killed in battle but to actually sit next to a girl who looked no day older than twenty one and hear her say she was roughly one and a half millenia old... And there I had felt so grown up and 'woman-of-the-worldly' because she...whoah!

"One thousand five hundred and fifty seven years and you never...you did not...with a man...?" In a gesture as innocent as possible I rubbed my index fingers together. She solemnly shook her head.

Quickly I erased any deigns I might have had for a more permanent stay in elven land. They could keep their creamy skin and high cheekbones for eternity when it was all 'Look but don't touch. And better don't get caught looking!'

All of a sudden I missed Kili so much my stomach tied itself into a knot.

Nuriel stood, announcing that it was time to get ready for dinner. She asked me if I wanted to go with her to the hall for some food and music but I declined her kind offer. I was not in the mood to be ever so discretely checked out for improper behaviour or being close to individuals accused of such.

"I'd rather have a bite to eat in my room," I said, "if it isn't too much of a bother."

"I will arrange for it, it is no bother at all," she assured me.

Alone in my room I reluctantly lay down on the bed. It did not look so inviting anymore and hugging a pillow just wasn't the same. So I punched it instead.. Then I punched it some more and again and again as if it was to blame for my frustration. I only stopped when I heard somebody at the door. Flushed and feeling stupid and pathetic I went to open. Nuriel was holding a tray with my dinner. She came in and set the tray on the small table on my balcony. "It is a beautiful night to be watching the stars," she said kindly, "but if you feel like some company later, do come down and join us!" she repeated her invitation and left.

It was indeed a beautiful night, the soft warm breeze gently lifting a few strands of my hair, stars twinkling over the valley, soft laughter and songs could be heard from below.

Taking a few bites I tried to let the peace around me calm my swirling thoughts but if anything my unease was growing by the minute until it reached a level that could only be called alarming. My appetite had vanished and it was impossible to sit still. But when I got up the world seemed to spin and shake and I almost dropped to my knees. Steadying myself on the balcony railing I still had the awful feeling that I was falling, falling, falling. Images of rocks being hurled through the air and swaying mountains flashed through my mind and I knew with absolute certainty that Kili was in grave danger. Staggering to the door on wobbly legs I worked hard to keep my balance and made it down the stairs. I needed to find Gandalf, Elrond, Nuriel, anyone!

Somehow I reached the terrace where the dwarfs had had dinner the night before. A group of people, I did not dare to think of them as 'young' anymore, was gathered there and enjoyed themselves with music and wine.

"Help!" I sobbed and stumbled into their midst. Nuriel and one of her friends sprang to support me and helped me to a chair. "Please, can you call Gandalf!" I cried, "now!" After exchanging a look with Nuriel one of the men left. My friend held a tall glass to my lips. "Here, it will calm you. I took a sip, if only to humour her. Worried by the state I was in Nuriel took my hands. "What has happened?"

"They are all in great danger," my voice was barely more than a whisper and I had to close my eyes as my body felt like it was being smashed against a wall. I swayed and would have fallen if not for her arms around me. Then Gandalf was next to me.

"What is going on?"

"Gandalf!" I clung to his robes, "Kili is in danger. They all are!"

"How do you know that?" He demanded to know.

"I can feel it, it's like I am there, I can see it!" and it scared me senseless.

"Tell me what you see, quick!" the wizard had decided to believe me.

"Mountains fighting, the ground under their feet is crumbling. They are falling. I don't know!" I stammered between sobs.

"The bloody fool!" he cursed through clenched teeth and put his palms on my head. " Calm down, fight back those images and distance yourself from that place!" he told me. As if I knew how!

I concentrated hard on one of the lit candles. Focus, focus. It did seem to help a bit.

Gandalf spoke to Nuriel in elven tongue and she and another girl hastened away. Slowly my swaying subsided. Letting go of the wizard's robe that I'd had still in my clutches I took a couple of deep breaths. The sense of dread had not gone but the imminent danger seemed to have been banned for the moment.

"Come," the fuming wizard growled.

Testingly I stood and relaxed a bit when nothing happened. "Where to?"

"To save those foolish dwarfs from their own stubbornness yet again!" He answered. "Tell Thorin Oakenshield to turn left and he will turn right just out of spite." He looked me over, his face still grim but his eyes sparkled with something close to mischief. "I take it you want to tag along?"

"You bet!"

"Good, go to your room and get ready as fast a you can. I will wait for you at the stables."

I all but flew back upstairs. On my bed somebody had already laid out a new set of clothes, more fit for traveling. Leggins, shirt, tunic, boots and a coat, all in matching shades of green and brown, comfortably warm but at the same light and flexible. Grabbing my bag I stuffed the rest of my belongings in it and was about to leave then took the extra thirty seconds for a detour to the bathroom.

When I ran back down to meet Gandalf various small jars were missing from the bathroom shelf. I was not entirely opposed to creamy skin after all.

Reliable Nuriel met me at the bottom of the stairs and guided me to the stables where two amazing horses were already waiting for us. One even had an elegant but strong looking bow and quiver attached to the saddle. "Oy-my-god!" I exclaimed at the sight of the beautiful animals.  
Gandalf mounted his stallion. "There are no better or faster horses and we need to make haste." Turning to Nuriel he bade her to offer Lord Elrond our apologies for the hurried departure and his thanks for everything.

I pulled her into a quick hug. "Thank you!"

"Be safe!"

A minute later we were racing through the woodland beneath the castle, soon passing the borders of the elven refuge and on through the moonlit night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Another long chapter, taking them right into the second film. Hope you enjoy it!**

Five hours into the night the horses were still going strong. We had reached a ridge of mountains and the terrain was rougher and wilder than any I had come through so far when I began to feel uneasy again. "Gandalf!" The wizard in front of me slowed his horse just enough to let me catch up. "Something's happening," I gasped.

We reigned in the horses and he of my reigns to steady the mare, "Focus, what do you see?" Urgency and authority in his voice made me concentrate hard. I closed my eyes and opened my heart. Images came floating in, ugly images.

"There is a vast cave, lots of bridges and paths made from planks and rope. Hundreds of half naked creatures, not orcs, they are smaller. The dwarfs have been taken prisoners."

The wizard nodded grimly. "They have marched straight into the goblin kingdom. Hurry!" He dug his heels into the horses soft belly and we were galloping on but now we were going uphill and the horses slowed with the ascend getting steeper. At length we stopped and dismounted. "Get your things and mine and let the horses run!" Gandalf busied himself with his staff and sword. "Where are they now?"

I let the pictures in. "An immense cavern, they are before a huge, obese giant with something like a crown on his head. There is fighting, screaming..." Gandalf shook me out of my trance like state.

"You stay here, hide yourself. Keep watch!" He turned and vanished between two rocks that seemed to stand guard over the mountain side.

All alone in this godforsaken but most likely monster ridden wilderness I thought that hiding was in fact a splendid idea.

Dusk had started to creep in from the east as I searched for a suitable spot. Keeping the images in my head from distracting me was not easy but at least I knew everybody was still alive.

A half circle of shrubbery and young trees was dense enough to shelter me from being spotted from the outside but provided enough peepholes to allow me a good view over the scenery.

When I had settled in my bushy stakeout I felt markedly better and could only assume that Gandalf had reached Thorin's company in time so I allowed myself to relax a little but still felt jittery with anticipation to be with Kili again.

My new bow provided some entertainment while I was waiting. It was a work of art, not quite a long bow but bigger than what I was used to, made from various sorts of wood, a slender, elegant yet deadly tool and I was much tempted to try it out but did not want to leave my cover to fetch back the arrows. And one did not waste any arrows, I had learned that lesson well.

Besides, I noticed that the world around me had gone very still. No birds were singing anymore, the occasional rustling in the trees and undergrowth had stopped. Straining my eyes and ears I could not detect anything or anyone near but I still had the eerie feeling that I was not the only one keeping an eye on the area where Gandalf had disappeared.

Just then there was a commotion between the rocks and the first dwarfs came running and stumbling down the steep hill. Half fainting with relieve I saw Kili and Fili coming to a halt not far from where I was hiding, panting and laughing and gratefully happy about yet another narrow escape. Not sure how I should announce myself I kept watching them for a moment but Kili did a full turn, scanning the place, shouted something to Fili who was busy with old Balin, who had collapsed next to him, then marched directly towards me.

Slowly I got up, heart beating madly and then he was there and while trying to survive a spine crushing embrace I knew that this was all I ever needed. For a short moment life was perfect.

"I knew you were here," he released me and held me at arms length. There were so many things I wanted to say but they had to wait. "Unfortunately I think I am not the only one who's been waiting for you." He frowned. "Have you seen anybody?"

"No, but I am quite sure there is something out there."

"Come," he bent to take Gandalf's bag, I collected my things and we stepped out of the bushes to meet the others. "Look what I found hiding in the undergrowth!" he beamed merrily.

If the dwarfs were surprised to see me they did not say so, but they welcomed me warmly. Except for Thorin who smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Where is Bilbo?" I asked Kili. Nobody seemed to know what had become of him and Gandalf was furious. While the dwarfs still tried to figure out how and where they could have lost their burglar their leader had quickly come to his conclusion.

"I tell you exactly what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it. He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and warm hearth since he first stepped out of his door. We will not see our hobbit again, he is long gone."

Disappointment was almost palpable in the sad silence that followed Thorin's crushing verdict.

And as if to spite him a small voice piped up behind us: "No, he isn't,".

"Bilbo Baggins!" Gandalf exclaimed, "I have never been so glad to see anyone in my life!"

The same could not be said for Thorin Oakenshield. He made a face as if to say: "Damn it, we've been so close ."

"Bilbo! We thought we'd lost you!" At least Kili had the good grace to show he cared.

"How did you get past the goblins?" Fili wondered.

"How indeed?" Dwalin hit the same mark, looking at the tiny man with unveiled suspicion.

"What does it matter?" Gandalf tried to save the hobbit who seemed hard pressed for an explanation but Thorin would not let it go.

"It matters," he insisted, his dark glare firmly on the hobbit. "Why did you come back?"

Bilbo offered one of his bashful smiles and explained that he indeed missed his home and everything in it because that was were he belonged. And for that very reason he wanted to aid them, because they did not have a home and he would help them get it back, if possible.

It was a moving little speech and many a dwarf looked at the courageous halfling with new respect, as did I.

Thorin however only cast is eyes down. Not quite convinced but resigned to be stuck with a hobbit burglar for a bit longer.

Once that topic was cleared I really wanted to share my inkling about somebody being close by but it was not necessary anymore. The somebody or better the many somebodies announced themselves as the unmistakable howling of wargs shattered the silence on the mountain.

Thorin's head snapped around. "Out of the frying pan," he sighed.

"And into the fire." Gandalf finished the saying and: "RUUUUUUUN!"

We ran but of course the orcs on their hellish rides were much faster and cut us off the route that Gandalf and I had come up on. The only direction left for us to take was to a glade that ended in a dreadful high fall right down into the valley a few hundred meters below. There was no way out. "Up the trees quick!" Gandalf cried and just in the nick of time was the last foot pulled high out of the reach of sharp and deadly fangs. Desperately we were clinging to the top branches of the last firs and pines at the edge of the glade before the long drop off the cliff. The pine that had me and Gandalf in it was in fact the very last tree on the very edge of that cliff and I did not dare look in that direction at all.

The blood thirsty beasts jumped up the trees and tore away the lower branches, they shook and pushed the trunks and I could already see some roots give way to the brutal force. There was not much soil on the rocky ground and the roots had not grown deep. They would not withstand the savage onslaught.

"Gandalf, what about a little trick or two now? I'd really love to see some!"

"I am on to it," he released an orange butterfly that he had picked up from a branch on the tree back into the air. "Let's hope he will be fast"

Terrified I saw the first tree was beginning to topple over. It's fall was broken by the next tree in line and the three dwarfs were able to jump onto the second tree but the force was too strong and while the trees fell like dominoes dwarfs were jumping from treetop to treetop until everybody was assembled in the last tree standing – in the most precarious position. I was glad to have Kili closer to me but our situation was really becoming hairy to say the least.

Our imaginative wizard had yet another trick in store. With his staff he lit one of the numerous big cones hanging from the branches and threw it down between the frantic wargs. The dry patches of grass caught fire and the raging beasts did not seem to like that. Quickly we picked as many cones as we could and lit one with the other, using them like hand grenades on the attackers below. The fire spread to the neighbouring pines and the beasts backed off.

We cheered our small victory but were not given much time to enjoy it. As the flames grew they started to burn away the roots of our own vulnerable refuge and it was no longer anchored in the ground.

The tree with thirteen dwarfs, a hobbit, a wizard and me was slowly tipping to the side. The wrong side.

Screaming and shouting we held on to the branches and the trunk with all our strength. Miraculously we did not fall, the pine was not yet ready to let go and we scrambled to get to safe ground. Dori and Ori were the least lucky. Ori had lost his grip on the wood and was now clutching his brothers leg. But also Dori was slipping and in the last moment Gandalf lowered his staff for Dori to grab on to and now he and his brother were hanging from the wizard's staff over the abyss. Since I was close I did my best to help Gandalf with the double load, so I was a bit preoccupied as Thorin managed to climb back on the cliff top and started running towards the orcs and wargs that were watching the developing drama from a secure distance. "What is he doing?" I gasped.

"That is Azog, the defiler. The pale orc that Thorin thought he had killed." We were both straining with the weight on his staff and I could not see much through the smoke and fire but I heard the shocked cries and knew something terrible had happened. Squinting I could make out a body on the ground, an enormous orc on an equally oversized warg and a hobbit with a tiny sword between them. I shook my head to clear my vision. Bilbo was still there, standing guard over Thorin's lifeless form, waving his sword wildly to fend off a pack of menacing monsters. Him of all people who had never gotten anything from Thorin but harsh words and contempt.

I was beginning to think my arms were being pulled from the shoulders but risked another glance to find Kili. He's almost made it off the tree and onto the ground. For a second our eyes met and a surge of power ran through me. I nodded and urged him on. Besides him Fili jumped to relative safety as well. Swords drawn they ran through the blazing inferno around us closely followed by Dwalin and charged at the enemy. At the same time Ori finally lost his fight against gravity. He fell and Dori with him.

"Noooo!" I cried in horror as all seemed lost but my scream had not even faded when a giant eagle swooped down from the sky and caught the falling brothers in mid air. Gandalf heaved a great sigh of relieve. His reinforcements had arrived.

More eagles appeared and began grabbing orcs and wargs, throwing them over the cliff where they dropped into the deep with blood curling screeches that echoed between the walls of the gorge. Other birds plucked dwarfs from the pine tree and released them for the next eagle to catch them on his back and fly them out of the danger zone. One of the majestic birds of prey gently wrapped his talons around Thorin who still showed no signs of life and lifted him into the air.

The white orc roared with rage at the sight of his sworn enemy being flown to safety right under his nose but he could do nothing. One by one the dwarfs and Bilbo were taken and then it was only Gandalf and me left but now the pine that had served us so well gave up it's fight and let go off the cliff. Panic was washing over me as I started to fall but Gandalf reached for my hand and before I had even had time to scream we landed on the broad softly feathered back of a great bird.

Too stunned to feel anything but gratitude I hugged the eagle's neck as we flew away from blazing fire and raging orcs. As far as I could tell everyone was unharmed, except for Thorin who hung limp like a puppet in the eagles grip. Nobody was enjoying our amazing journey through the sky, over high snow covered mountain tops and deep valleys where the sun was not seen all year long, out into wider land covered in grass and a river running through it. All were looking to their leader, deep concern on their faces.

But Kili was safe and that was my priority by far and I really had one major question for the second passenger on my eagle.

"Gandalf, " I looked back over my shoulder at the wizard. "Why on earth are we not traveling like this from the beginning? We would have reached that blasted mountain days ago without accidents with orcs and incidents with goblins?"

He seemed taken aback by my question, then he scratched his beard: "The great eagles are a proud and noble race," he explained, " I was able to help their lord some time ago. That is, I want to believe, why they come to aid me in times of great need. It does not mean that they run a coach service throughout middle earth."

Fair enough, I thought, even though a part of me still thought that things were being made a lot more complicated than was strictly necessary.

"Besides," Gandalf, having had a moment to think about it, was not quite finished, "often one sets out on a quest with less than is required to bring it to a successful end. Those missing pieces often present themselves along the way. If you take the shortest route from one point to another you may never come across something vital to you and your undertaking." That made sense.

"Thank you," I said somewhat humbled, "I will keep that in mind."

The eagles began to fly lower and circled a great rock with a flat top looking out over the land beyond the river. One by one the gently let us down on that rock and went back up to the sky, circling around us. Gandalf rushed to Thorin's side, kneeled and placed his hand on the unmoving dwarfs head chanting what I assumed to be a powerful spell because a minute later his eyes opened. Kili, who had been half crazy with worry laughed and actually took my hand then understood his mistake and with the cutest embarrassed little smile let go of me. I grinned back happily.

Thorin's first words were for Bilbo. "It's alright," Gandalf told him, "Bilbo is here, he is quite safe."

Supported by Kili and Dwalin, Thorin staggered to his feet and glared at the hobbit, anger distorting his features.

"You! What were you doing? You nearly got yourself killed!" He took a few steps towards Bilbo who did not know where to hide. "Did I not say you'd be a burden, that you would not survive in the wild and you had no place amongst us?"

As shocked as the rest of the company I could not believe what I was hearing. If I'd had a warg at hand in that moment I would have ordered it to bite off the dwarf's head myself. The devastated look on Bilbo's face was heartbreaking.

Then Thorin's stance slackened and with more warmth that I had thought him capable of he said: "I have never been so wrong in all my life," and pulled the surprised hobbit into a tight hug. "I am sorry I doubted you." For the first time I saw Thorin smile and my heart went out to that proud and hardened man. God only knew what it had cost him to say those words and in my eyes that made him more of a king than all his heroics in battle .

Embarrassed by the praise and apology Bilbo humble as always tried to play down his part. The eagles who had been circling the rock until now decided the time had come to be gone and departed with a few loud screeches towards their eyries, providing a welcome distraction from the over emotional scene.

As he watched them fly Thorin caught sight of something in the far west, were the sun was beginning to set and his face was once more lit up by joy. "What is it?" asked Bilbo next to him.

"Erebor," Gandalf answered him, "the Lonely Mountain."

"Our home," Thorin could not take his eyes off the peak on the horizon. He was still smiling.

Bilbo made a hopeful face. "I believe the worst is behind us." Little did we know that as far as fortune tellers went, the hobbit was among the worst.

Thorin and his company had shared some very emotional moments on top of the platform overlooking the wide lands beyond them were the eagles had dropped them.

The dwarfs were deeply moved by the sight of the Lonely Mountain on the horizon, the home they had lost all those decades ago and had come a long way to reclaim. And still there was a quite a distance between us and the solitary peak behind which the sun had began to set.

Long gone people had hewn a stairway into the rock and we single filed down to look for a less exposed place to spend the night and get some much needed rest.

Most of the company's equipment had been lost either in goblin town or during the flight from the last orc attack but at least they had managed to hang on to their weapons. I was dead chuffed to have saved my bow and arrows but could have wept at the loss of my bag. Admittedly the orcs had much more need for skin treatment than I did but I doubted they would put my pilfered little jars to good use.

Bombur and Bofur had started a fire and Kili and I were dispatched to hunt for something to cook and eat. I rather enjoyed being on an official mission with my secret love who, having been a hunter all his life, soon spotted a few promising rabbit holes. I gladly left it to him to shoot the unlucky furies as they made the mistake of their lives and showed themselves. Shortly he had brought down four nice fat rabbits and started skinning and gutting them expertly. It felt like 'the old times.'

"What happened in Rivendell?" Kili asked me while going about on his task. "Has Lord Elrond not been able to help you?"

"He never got the chance to try. I eloped, you see."

"How did Gandalf know we needed him and where to go? Do you know?"

"No one knows better," I said and I told him.

Kili listened intently and when I had finished he put down the last rabbit and his hunting knife and held out a hand. "Come here!" His voice had that butterfly awakening quality and I shuffled over to kneel between his legs.

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, scanning me with burning eyes, "You are so very beautiful."

"And you have bunny bits on your hands," I murmured transfixed and not wanting him to stop caressing my cheek.

"And you don't mind," he read me correctly.

"Not if you kiss me already." I specified. His hand behind my neck pulled me closer and his smug grin dissolved in a kiss full of fire and the heat spread through my body as his grip became harder. I loved the way he could be so gentle one moment and so devouringly passionate the next.

"Thanks to all powers there are that you're not an elf," I sighed on his lips.

"Why would you say that?" he chuckled with eyes half closed.

"I'll tell you another time, now I want to be kissed some more." Only when I shifted position and my hand landed on the skinned rabbit next to us did I remember that we actually had a job to do and that it was NOT making out in the arms of mother nature.

Letting go of each other was torture but we were helped by shouts from the distance. Somebody was coming to look what took us so long.

"Coming!" Kili yelled, clearly unhappy. "We will finish this – eh – conversation later," he promised hoarsely.

Straightening our clothes we took two dinner rabbits each and went back to our hungry companions. Fili eyed us with open suspicion but was pacified by the sight of the splendid prey. The meat was cut, impaled on sharp sticks and roasted over a pool of glowing ember.

Thorin and Gandalf, for once in agreement, were sure that at least for that night we would be safe from Azog and his hunting party. The eagles had taken us too far for the orcs to catch up so fast. Nevertheless watch should be kept in two hour shifts because we could not be sure what else was lurking in the night. Gandalf, Bilbo and I were spared watch duty. Sounded like exceptions were made for women, children and pensioners but I honestly did not mind that little act of chivalry.

Kili and Fili had drawn third shift and by the hot gaze he sent my way I knew Kili had not forgotten his earlier promise.

Deliberately choosing a dark corner away from the fire I wrapped myself into my coat and slept within minutes.

I woke with a start when someone shook me and clamped a hand over my mouth. A barely audible whisper in my ear told me to come quietly. Damn him and his whispering. He had hardly touched me and I had goosebumps! Heart beating with anticipation I crawled after him.

Like thieves we crept away into the forest, avoiding Oin and Gloin, the guards on duty until he thought we had gone far enough.

"Isn't that a touch risky?" I felt obliged to ask. "What if something happens and we will be found missing?"

"There are times when I simply don't care." He was already undoing the clasps of his pretty blue leather coat. "Reckless, remember?" He shook out of the coat and laid it on the ground.

"Oh, I remember it well," I said dreamily, watching him struggle with the tiny buttons of his vest.

"In a hurry, are we?"

"One cannot just stop a dwarf after he has reached a certain stage of – eh – excitement." He growled, loosing the fight against tiny shiny buttons.

"Allow me." I undid them swiftly one by one.

"You have no idea what I have been through all evening. It's not healthy, you know." His hands were now working on my clothes. I pulled his shirt out of his pants and slipped my hands underneath. Ahhh, that wonderful velvety skin with the silky sprinkling of hair!

"And stop pretending," he shoved the coat of my shoulders My hands stopped their exploring to allow him to take my coat and put it on the ground with it's colleague. "Don't forget that I can feel you, too."

"And pray, what am I feeling now," I inquired, my mouth on his lips while my hands took possession of his body again. Kili grabbed the back of his shirt with both hands and whipped it over his head, making me suck air through my teeth.

"You, pretty lady, feel absolutely ready for me." Flashing eyes dared me to deny it but I had no intention to. Lucky that my elven clothes were as easy to shed as they were comfortable to wear. If the night air was cool it did not matter with Kili there to keep me warm. That dwarf was burning like a furnace and he was all over me.

It was almost ridiculous how effortless our lovemaking was. Wherever he touched me my skin was on fire and my senses were heightened to a point where they hardly needed any stimulation. Looking at him made my stomach somersault and my inner organs do the jitterbug. Hands roaming over each others skin, clinging, clawing in desperate need to get closer, closer, I wrapped my legs around him to push him even deeper. No force of nature could have torn us apart in those last moments before release swept over our glistening bodies and left us panting for air.

When he propped himself up on an elbow to look down on me, his fingers tracing patterns on the sweat between my breasts I swear there were stars shooting through his hair. Or maybe it was the night sky above but what the difference. He was absolutely ravishing!

I had to reach up and kiss him again. No matter how often or how long, it was not enough, never enough. A burning sensation on my face made me halt momentarily and then giggle.

"What?" he broke away frowning.

"Just wondering how I am going to explain a severe case of stubble rash tomorrow morning."

"A what?"

"That," I rubbed his chin, "Has left my face raw. A little tell tale sign that one has not spent the night reading poetry."

"Oh," he gently touched my cheek, "Why do I always end up hurting you?"

"I wouldn't want it any other other way," I said and set out to prove it.

He rolled onto his back and pulled me half on top. I covered us with my green coat and rested my head on his chest, listening to the strong beat of his heart. "This must be the most beautiful sound in the world," I mumbled into the fine dark fur on his pecs. His laugh came from deep within like a low rumble. Unable to resist I planted little kisses on his skin and worked my way lower ever so slowly. By the time I got to his navel Kili's breathing had become erratic. He tried to sit up but I shoved him down. "Keep still, will you?!"

"But..."

"Shhh!" My kisses traced a circle around his belly button and trailed down the line of hair to his groin where my cheek touched something warm and throbbing and I smiled to myself. "Gotcha!" I thought and swept my tongue over the tip of his arousal.

"No," he gasped, "You can't..."

"Watch me," I growled and closed my lips over his erection. He tried to move away but I would have none of it. Raising a hand to order him to keep still I assumed a more comfortable position and let my mouth and tongue go about their business. He did watch me, in horrid fascination, until he fell flat on his back and gave himself over to pleasure.

Consciously I tried to connect with him, why only share the nasty bits, and was blown away by a surge of overwhelming lust that made me moan in agony. Not shy anymore he buried his hands in my hair and met my movements with a few thrusts of is hips then came in an almost painful orgasm, bucking and groaning and my body shook in time with his.

Again he tried to move away but I held on fast, not wanting to let any of my just reward go to waste. A funny warmth seemed to spread from my stomach and I could not help wonder if I had just pushed the whole bonding thing to a new level. Wasn't it possible to do anything just for fun in this blasted world full of magic?

Kili's grip on my hair softened and I looked up. "Ooops," I thought, "I did it again." Another innocent – in a matter of speaking – inhabitant of middle earth shocked into silence.

Snaking my way up until my chin rested on his chest I waited. A few very long seconds later he ran his fingers up my spine, making me shiver even caught between his heat and the coat. Such was the effect that dwarf had on me.

"How do you do that?" He sounded shaken but he did meet my eye. "Well, technically I just …."

"NOT technically! I got that, thank you very much! What in the name of Durin's shriveled private parts gave you the idea?"

"Hmm, first and foremost I dare say the fact that your private parts were far from shriveled. Quite the opposite really. And second of course the fortunate coincidence that they where within easy reach." I tugged softly at some of his chest hair.

"But this is not..." he stared at the night sky above as if the words he was looking for where hidden there.

"What? Not right? Like in wrong? All is fair in love and war, a wise man once said." I told him. "Did you not like it?" I asked, well knowing that he did, and very much so.

"I did like it," he admitted haltingly, "But how could you? I had all the pleasure while you..."

"Kili, if it pleases you, it pleases me. Besides..." I confessed that I had consciously used our connection to participate in his pleasure. "For that I apologize. This is your most private emotion and I had no right to intrude on it. It was awesome though." I could not help adding.

He kept silent for a minute but never ceased to run his fingers up and down my back. "Do you think that whole bonding thing has gone a bit too far?" I looked up, searching his face for signs that maybe he felt a bit cornered by all the magic stuff. I wouldn't have blamed him but he offered me a smile.

"No, I think we have been doomed from the first night like I told you there and then. Most likely even before. One does not choose for such things to happen. They choose you. And I for one could not think of anyone better to be stuck with for the rest of my days and share my most private emotions with."

How could I not kiss him after that?

Holding each other tight we snuggled under my coat and for once just talked about things of no importance to kings and wizards and the future of middle earth but essential to get to know each other better, in other ways than the physical. Not that I would have minded more of the physical but with the stars slowly fading one by one the time had come to return to the real world.

We dressed in silence and picked leaves and pine needles from our clothes and hair and it was almost day when we were ready to leave.

"You first," he said, "I will see if I can catch us some breakfast." I made to leave but he snatched my arm and held me back. "One more thing," I could see the little devils in his eyes that I had come to adore, "If you ever were to share your most private emotion with me, I would like that very much."

Damn him, the butterflies had just gone to bed!

Grinning he slapped my backside. "Don't get lost on your way back!"

"Don't get caught – again!" I shot back.

Most of the company was still fast asleep when I returned to my abandoned spot and sat. Despite the fact that I had not had a full night's sleep I felt wide awake and full of energy. Letting my gaze drift over the sleeping dwarfs and hobbit I also felt comfortably at home.

Until I turned my head and saw Thorin Oakenshield standing next to me. Gloomily he looked down.

"Good morning," I greeted him. At least one of us should show some manners.

"Come, walk with me!" He stalked away, sure that I would do as he'd said. That did not bode well.

When I caught up with him we were out of earshot of the camp and he turned his best glare on me.

"What is between you and my nephew?" No beating about the bush for him.

"I beg your pardon?" It took all my willpower not to avert my eyes.

"What – is – between – you – and – my – nephew!" he repeated stressing each word.

"Which one?"

"Do not try my patience!" he snapped. Heart racing I tried to figure out how much he could possibly know.

"I wish you were a little more specific," I replied carefully testing the waters and, I feared, his patience.

"I see the way Kili looks at you."

"Not more than the one and only female in a group of fourteen men can expect, I assume." Personally I thought I was extremely diplomatic.

"Why is your face all red?" Bugger, had forgotten that. "Slept in an ant nest. Dreadfully uncomfortable."

"You were wearing Kili's tunic when Gandalf brought you up in Bilbo Baggins' house."

Uh-uh, somebody had been paying attention. "That old thing? There must be hundreds like that. You were simply mistaken."

His eyes narrowed. "That is his dagger you are carrying. No use denying it, it was I who gave it to him."

Now what business did he have checking out my thighs I wanted to ask but instead I said: "Fili gave me his bow. That did not bother you?"

His jaw worked but he could not counter that one.

"Where is he?" He spat for lack of any more accusations.

"Maybe he had to use the bathroom -eh – tree?"

"You have only come back yourself, I saw you returning." His majesty did not give up easily.

"Maybe I had to use a tree – eh – bush, too?"

Ha, now he looked slightly embarrassed and I had my line of defense laid out for me.

"Look, are you asking me if I dragged your nephew into the woods to shag him like a banshee all night long?"

His eyes widened and then he lost the staring contest we had been engaged in throughout the interrogation.

Childish inner me high fived herself when Thorin actually took a step back and his jaw dropped. These people were so predictable when it came to bodily functions or – heaven forbid – contact!

"Of course not!" he shouted scandalized. "Kili would never..." he could not say the words.

"Then what is the problem?" I feigned annoyance. "That we talk? Share a laugh now and then? Shoot a few arrows together?"

He still had not gotten over the image I had painted in his imagination.

"No," he sputtered, looking at everything but me, "but I am responsible for him. Kili is young, he knows nothing of the world and is impressed easily. I don't want him to get ideas about things he cannot possibly ever have."

"You are afraid that he might fall madly in love, abandon your quest to settle somewhere quiet and raise a lovely dwarf/man family with me?"

He had lost all momentum he might have had when he first asked me to come with him.

"No, I...he..."

"Listen," I decided to put him out of his misery, "Kili himself told me that his dream has always been to one day find a woman as wonderful as the one who has raised him. His mother, your sister."

It was true. He had told me so only a little while ago, and how I had shattered that somewhat adolescent dream once and for all. Of course I did not mention that part. "I don't think I fit that description, do you?"

"No you don't. Not in the least." Thorin mumbled into his beard.

I was actually very relieved to hear that.

"Well, since we cleared that up do I have your permission to talk to your nephews again?" Crossing my arms in front of me I raised one eyebrow and waited.

He chewed the words before he said them, grudgingly. "You do. But don't speak to them of strange and unobtainable things. The need their heads clear, not clouded by dreams." He tried hard to regain his daunting expression.

"They do share your dream, I case you haven't noticed," somehow his glares failed to intimidate me anymore. "Those boys would go to hell and back for you. Why, I believe they already did! You have no reason to doubt their loyalties, or mine. Other than Bilbo, I have nowhere else to go. Looks like I am could become a permanent number in your life. You might as well start liking me."

Thorin shook his head in bewilderment but there was the tiniest curl of a smile at the corners of his mouth. "Go away!" he barked. "You give me a headache and your clothes make my eyes water. You look like an elf!"

Well, if that wasn't a most splendid compliment I have never heard one, I thought, curtseyed nicely and bee lined back to the campsite where people had lit a new fire and were stretching limbs stiff from the long night.

Kili wasn't there yet but Fili had seen who I had been with and came to meet me with a concerned look on his face. "What did Thorin want with you?"

"He warned me not to corrupt your innocent little souls."

"He did not!" he gasped aghast.

"Did too!" I shot back.

"Why is your face all red?" he asked studying me closely.

"Don't change the subject!" I snapped sending a glare.

"We did not have a subject!"

"Then why are we talking?"

"Kili is coming," Following his gaze I saw Kili emerge between the trees, a bundle of freshly killed fowl in each hand. He ran straight into Thorin who stood leaning against the beech where I had left him.

"That's going to be interesting," I muttered. Fili's look of concern was back.

'Careful, Kili, careful,' I tried to send a silent message.

Uncle and nephew exchanged a few words then Thorin waved Kili away and rubbed his face with both hands before he leaned his head back on the tree. Maybe I should get Gandalf to give him some aspirin or the middle earthen equivalent for it.

"Where is Gandalf?" He had not been among the sleeping when I came back and also now he was nowhere in sight.

"No one's seen him since last night," Fili answered. We were both following Kili's progress towards the fire, where he was greeted cheerfully and left the breakfast birds for someone else to pluck, marching on to where Fili and I were waiting for him.

He grinned at me. "Your face is all red."

"And if I slap you real hard yours will be, too." I answered sweetly.

Kili just winked at my threat. "What's the matter with Thorin?" he turned and asked his brother. "He was all weird. Talked about mother and how we make him proud and that we are to avoid banshees at all times. Do you think he is still ailing from those warg bites?"

"Much worse," Fili told him gravely. "He had a chat with your…" he waved his hand at me, "..butterfly here." After a perplexed pause Kili burst into laughing and slapped his thighs. I crossed my arms in front of me not appreciating that reaction.

"Sorry, sorry," Kili gasped. "What did you say to him?"

"I only answered his questions," I replied with dignity.

"In your own sweet way," he concluded with a smile that melted my heart.

"In my own sweet way," I confirmed, smiling back.

"My little butterfly has a bite," he had the nerve to say.

"Far as I remember I am the only one who got bitten," I reminded him.

"He bit you?" Fili looked to Thorin aghast.

"Not him!" I corrected.

"You bit her?" he cried at Kili in disbelief.

"Only in self defense," my love declared, the smile never leaving his eyes.

Fili had gone a bit pale around the nose again. "I think I'll go over to Thorin and bang my head against the tree for a while," he said weakly. "You two should be locked up!"

"If only," I sighed.

"NOT together," Fili made plain.

"Then I am afraid the deal is off."

Kili threw an arm around his brother's shoulders, dragging him to the fire. "Come on, let's have a bite to eat."

"I'll have you know that I have, as from today, obtained your uncle's royal permission to keep you company." I chirped and followed them. I heard a slight groan and laughed, "I heard that, Fili!" Of course he could not keep up his act for long. He was just new to being the teased and not the teaser.


	7. Chapter 7

_This chapter is cut short but the next one will be up in a few days. I want to thank everybody who has been reading so far. It's been a joy to write the first two movies but I am having trouble with what is happening after DoS. Not sure whether to continue or wait until part 3 will come out around x-mas. _

_I have already written the end and there is no altering that but how we get there is open for discussion ;-)_

_You are welcome to share your thoughts on that and help me decide!_

Gandalf appeared like magic as soon as the fowl were ready to eat and also Thorin joined us. He sat as far from me as possible but that could have been a mere coincidence. Trying hard not to provoke any more suspicion I was extremely friendly to every dwarf, hobbit and wizard around the fire. I did not need to single Kili out anyway. I felt him as if I was touching him, as if he part of me and it was scary and wonderful at the same time.

But I did sneak a glance at Thorin who sat as relaxed as I had ever seen him between his men and I wondered what would have happened if I had simply told him the truth. For a moment our eyes met and his seemed to twinkle. He had had time to think our little talk over and I suddenly wasn't sure anymore that I had actually fooled him but whatever it was he let it rest for the time being and I was grateful for that.

With breakfast done we packed what little we still owned and continued on our way west. By midday we reached the last foothills and open plains lay before us but the good mood vanished into thin air when we heard an all too familiar sound in the not so far distance; a warg's howl.

Either orcs and wargs didn't need to rest or it was a different pack altogether.

Bilbo and I were sent to scout because the wargs' sensitive if ugly noses were known to be especially fine tuned to sniff out dwarfs.

Silent like shadows we crept over the rocks and sure as sulfurous stench follows the devil there they were, scanning the country for traces, led by the two whitewashed fiends.

They had not yet picked up on our trail but we knew it would only be a matter of time.

As the hobbit and I retreated even more carefully Bilbo grabbed my arm and pointed to another hill to our left. Something hairy and huge stood there, watching the orcs like we had and it did not look friendly at all. It seemed that we were caught between the hammer and the anvil.

Back with our waiting companions I let Bilbo do the talking and pondered the question why all the evil we met along the way had to be totally blown out of proportion.

Gandalf knew, or at least knew of the bear creature and did not like the notion of it being close to us. But he also had knowledge of a house not too far away where he thought we would find shelter if we were lucky enough to reach it in time.

Not having a great deal of choice it was decided we should go there. Or run, to be more precise. Honestly, there were certain stereotypes in middle earth that seriously began to grate on my nerves.

We could already see the big farmstead Gandalf was leading us to when we heard the orcs behind us. A hair raising roar made us stop dead in track even though we did not have a second to loose. The bear had caught on to us as well. Faster than before we sprinted towards the broad wooden gate ahead. A band of crazed orcs and a hungry giant bear were very good incentives for speed but I still didn't trust my eyes when Bombur of all dwarfs overtook us one by one. He obviously thought he'd be the bear's first choice for a snack.

The black beast was between us and the orcs and it made the ground shake with every leap. We passed the outer gate into the orchard around the large, strong looking farmhouse and just managed to dash inside, shoving the door closed on the roaring bear's snout. Those teeth could make a warg tremble!

With the door securely barred the attack stopped. We heard him gallop away and since no orcs came knocking it seemed likely that the bear had indeed gone to make a few wargs trembel.

"What is that?" asked Ori aghast and out of breath.

"That," our wizard informed us nonchalantly, "is our host." Trust Gandalf to always come up with a little surprise. He relayed more information about the creature that I would have called a "were-bear" but went by the name of Beorn and was as Gandalf explained a "skin changer".

In the meantime I checked out the inside of the large house that was more of a barn really. Cows were peacefully chewing on hay with chickens picking at the ground between them and curious goats stalked through the scarcely furnished interior. None of the animals seemed to be the least alarmed either by our intruding on their pleasant evening or the large predator that had just knocked on the door. Their indifferent manner gave me a reassuring sense of security and I gladly followed Gandalf's suggestion to get some sleep.

Dropping where I stood and I curled up in the aromatic bed of hay and with Kili on my mind if not by my side I soon was fast asleep.

What woke me the next morning was the loud buzzing of bees. Very big bees, of course. I hoped they were friendly. Bilbo, who had been sleeping close by, waved a bee from his nose and sat up. "Good morning," I greeted him.

"A very good morning to you, too!" Another bee flew up to him for closer inspection. "Where is everybody?"

I pointed to the long table at the far end of the barn where the dwarfs and Gandalf were seated and being tended to by giant man who poured milk into empty cups and handed out thick slices of bread. Bilbo's stomach growled loudly at the sight of food and I agreed wholeheartedly. Beating residue of hay and straw from our clothes we went to join the munching company.

The giant paid us no attention, it was all on the dwarfs, of whom he was, according to Gandalf, not overly fond of.

But in the end he did offer Thorin his help because, as he said: "Orcs I hate more."

Beorn had understood our need to travel with speed, as we were running out of time to reach the Lonely Mountain before Durin's Day. We were given provisions and he allowed us to borrow his ponies, if we promised to send them back once we'd reach the borders of Mirkwood forest. That forest we had to cross but it did not sound like a pleasant place at all. Home to a branch of elves that were, as Beorn put it, "less wise and more dangerous" than their relatives in the east. And the elves were reportedly the nicest living beings in that old and dark forest.

Beorn also spoke of spiders, large ones – who'd have thought – at which point I tuned him out. I might not remember anything but the mentioning of spiders, large or not, made my skin crawl and the fine hairs on my neck rise.

The skin changer saw us off while scanning the land with a grim face, bloodlust in his eyes. The man was surprisingly enough a vegetarian, with a deep love for all living things but the bear obviously was not beyond ripping a few orcs to pieces when he got the chance.

The ponies carried us across the plains in a steady trot and we could see Mirkwood long before we got there, a black and foreboding wall waiting for us and it did not look much friendlier as we came closer. By afternoon we were standing under the overhanging boughs of the forest's outer trees. Gnarled trunks with twisted branches and ivy growing from root to treetop. Two pillars marked the beginning of the path we were supposed to take. Neither gate nor path looked the least inviting. Bilbo summed it up perfectly: "This forest looks sick."

Nobody disagreed but we still collected our things from the ponies and were about to send them back to their master when Gandalf shouted to keep his horse back.

The wizard had been broodingly staring at the entrance to the elven path for some time and now announced a change of plans. He would not come with us for he had other urgent matters to take care of and he would not be persuaded to stick around. After instructing us repeatedly to not leave the path for any reason or we'd most likely never find it again, he galloped away, leaving a cloud of dust. Watching him disappear I shortly wondered if he suffered from arachnophobia, too.

Gandalf's unexpected and sudden departure had severely damaged the company's already low morale. We ventured into Mirkwood forest with heavy hearts and dark thoughts.

No sound came from the looming trees as we followed the path winding through them, no bird song or buzzing of insects. The roof of leaves formed by the treetops high above our heads was so thick, sunlight was hardly filtering through, creating a hostile and frightful atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.

Unhappy and downcast we meandered along the path, weapons at the ready.

Beorn and Gandalf had both warned us that the forest would play tricks on our senses and as we stumbled ahead it indeed became harder to concentrate. Again and again somebody had to be pulled back because they started to follow whatever it was they imagined they saw and left the path. The path that we were not to loose, under no circumstances. We were focusing on that path as we progressed deeper into the woods and yet there came the moment when there was no denying it anymore, we had lost all sense of direction and the path was gone. Our pace had become an exhausted shuffle and the very air seemed to have thickened and set on suffocating us. There was no way of telling north from south or east from west in the never changing dimness of the forest. Bilbo's gaze strayed upwards in a futile attempt to find the sun beyond the heavy blanket that had replaced the sky. Our eyes met. Yes, if we climbed the trees maybe we could get a glimpse of the sun or the stars or anything to tell us where we should be heading.

The dwarfs dropped to the ground in various states of delusion and exhaustion, thankful for the break.

I crouched down to talk to Kili who was half asleep and shook him. "Stay with me, you hear? Don't sleep!" He blinked twice and his eyes closed. Great. Leave it to the women and children to save the world.

Climbing those trees should not have been so hard but my head was like wrapped in a mass of cotton candy and my blood seemed to have the consistency of honey. Every step up was a huge effort but as we climbed higher breathing became easier and the heaviness left our bodies. When we stuck our heads through the last leaves it was like breaking free of a bad dream. The air was sweet, a gentle breeze played with our hair and hundreds of butterflies, startled by our appearance had taken to flight. Clever little things lived on top of the trees not in the forbidding semidarkness between them. They made me smile and think of poor Kili still trapped in the putrid air on the forest floor.

"Look," Bilbo said excited and pointed towards the setting sun. There it was, the Lonely Mountain, much closer than we had dared to hope. I could make out a river between the trees, running into a lake and on the far shore...our goal. We might have never known if not for our expedition up the trees.

Bilbo shouted downwards to share the good news but there was no reaction from the dwarfs in the forest. I tried to sense Kili but did not get much. He sort of was there but at the same time he wasn't.

"Bilbo," I said with dread, "something is terribly wrong." "When has it ever not been since we started out on this adventure," he replied gloomily and began to climb back down. I glanced one more time at the mountain beyond the lake. "I really hope you are worth all the trouble," I told the looming peak and went after the hobbit.

Bilbo had been climbing down fast as he could but suddenly he lost his footing and unable to hold on to any of the branches within reach he dropped. My scream died in my throat when his fall was broken by a silvery sheet between the trees. Only that it wasn't a sheet, it was a spider's web. The hobbit was trying to free himself but was stuck like the proverbial fly. Mere seconds later I heard a terrible clicking noise and the master of the net came to see what he had caught .

To call those spiders large had been the understatement of a lifetime. That one was big as an elephant and ugly as hell on eight legs. My worst nightmare had manifested itself before my eyes and I was paralyzed with terror. The beast scuttled over Bilbo and had him wrapped in a neat and shiny cocoon in the blink of an eye. Not that my eye dared to blinked. I was frozen and watched in horror as the creature dragged Bilbo away.

'Get a grip, girl, get a grip!' Ithoughts racing I tried to make my muscles obey, I could not just let the spider take the hobbit and disappear. I had to find out where it would take Bilbo then I must find Kili and – Kili!

That's why it was so quiet. The spiders must have gotten them! Damn, shit, fuck fuck fuck fuck bugger damn shit! I had to do something! But why oh why spiders! Deep breaths, deep breaths. Love conquers all, right. Even arachnophobia. Even if the arachnides are big as bungalows!

Whimpering to myself I climbed a few branches lower and followed spider and prey through the trees. Lucky for me that the spider colony seemed to prefer to inhabit the lower levels of the trees. Higher up there were hardly any webs but I really did not want to push my luck by getting too brave. Beneath me more and more of the sticky traps were hanging like sails between trunks and branches. Bilbo's spider was taking his catch home to the family and it was excited about it as if it had caught a rare prize, only stopping for a second to check if the cocoon was still intact. It arranged it's eight legs around Bilbo's body (a sight that made me gag in horror), ready to give him a spin when it got stung in the chest with Bilbo's little sword.

The hobbit had managed to hold on to it while being wrapped up. I honestly admired the small man. In his place I felt sure, I would have simply died.

The spider let go of Bilbo and the branch they where on and crashed to the forest floor with one last shriek. Holding bow and arrow in hands I got ready to shoot the next spider to approach when something strange happened. Bilbo vanished into thin air. One moment he was there, the next he wasn't.

Had everybody neglected to tell me that hobbits possessed magical abilities? For example making themselves invisible? I had a short flashback to the time when Dwalin had asked the halfling how he had managed to get past the goblins. A question Bilbo had skillfully avoided answering.

Hmm, there was certainly more to the hobbit than met the eye. Well, right now nothing met my eye because I could not see him. Also I was in no position to shoot at the new spiders that scurried along, alarmed by the swinging of their webs, if I could not be sure there was no invisible hobbit between me and the target.

But something made them run in various directions just before I saw Bilbo again, ramming his reliable little sword right into the face of a lagging spider and sent it crashing down to the ground to join the first.

With the rest of them on the prowl for more fresh meat the hobbit felt safe enough to start hacking at the walls of sticky web around him. Not before several cocoons had dropped, their fall softened by several layers of web between them and the hard forest floor, did I realize that he was actually freeing the dwarfs from the spider colony's larder, where they had been hung neatly for later use.

Being still way up in the trees I also understood that I would be cut off from my friends if spiders were to return now, to find their provisions had gone missing.

Heart beating frantically I climbed down, expecting to find myself face to face with an eight legged and – eyed nightmare at every step but for once I was lucky. Underneath I could see the dwarfs had succeeded in cutting themselves out of the clingy mess that had enveloped them. Fortunately spiders lacked the necessary digit to disarm a person. And not a second too soon had they freed themselves when the main body of the nest came back. Still up in the tree I finally I could put that lovely bow of mine to good use and it worked like a charm. Spider after spider was being shot or hacked to pieces but for each dead two more appeared. Once again our fate seemed to be sealed when a miracle happened.

Swinging from trees or seemingly flying through the air and landing on their feet with incredible ease and grace, people with long hair, pointed ears and dressed much like me came to our aid. They moved with lightning speed and decimated the army of spiders in a couple of minutes. Elves.

My sigh of relieve came too soon, for when they had run out of spiders to kill they turned their weapons in a very determined manner against Thorin and his company.

A tall, strikingly handsome man with blond hair to die for but with a very unfriendly disposition warned them in no uncertain terms against trying to resist. I was still trying to process that latest turn of events when we heard a desperate shout for help. Kili! Quick check – no, he wasn't with the company. The elves did not let the dwarfs move but they had yet to detect me and I was already on my way to where the scream had come from.

Kili was scrambling to free himself from a spider that had escaped the elven onslaught and had it's teeth in his boot, trying to drag him away. He kicked and crawled backwards but to no avail and again a hole in the ground seemed to have opened up and spit more spiders out.

I steadied myself and aimed but before I could loose the arrow a new player entered the field.

A woman with bright red hair jumped right on a spiders head, sending it sprawling on the floor, killed two more with a long knife, shot the one that was still pulling at Kili between the eyes, finished another one of with a dagger that she immediately launched at a fifth spider that had already come dangerously close to Kili. All in less time than it took to say 'itsy bitsy spider'. I was dead impressed. So was Kili.

Even the elf seemed to take a second to admire her handiwork which was probably the reason why she missed a sixth spider lurching up behind her. At least I got to shoot that one, in doing so blowing my cover.

I jumped down to stand beside my man, eh, dwarf. The redhead looked surprised. "Dalan," Kili was not as happy to see me as I would have wished, "you should have stayed hidden!"

I gave him a stern look then glared at the elf. "I am not leaving you in her charge alone. Remember what your uncle said about banshees?" His eyebrows shot up then he grinned despite our listless situation.

"Don't flatter yourself, dwarf!" I hissed, " it takes a lot more to make me jealous."

"Right, and my best mate is an orc," he replied disgustingly sure of himself. I opened my mouth for a come back but a feathered arrow landed between our feet and reminded us that we were in fact prisoners.

Our gorgeous captor ushered us back to were the other captives were guarded. Fili could not hide is relief at seeing both of us well but rolled his eyes as if to say "what have you been caught doing again!?"

The blond leader of the elven patrol ordered us to lay down our weapons . That was another highly frustrating aspect of life in middle earth. It was next to impossible to establish a connection to anything material. As soon as you got something, somebody was taking it away from you again. Bye, bye pretty bow. I did not volunteer my dagger though. Let them search me I thought.

But the guards were too busy with Fili who kept producing knives and daggers and swords and grudgingly handed them over. I chuckled, for I knew how much steel he carried around and wondered if the elves would actually consider to schlepp all the stuff through the forest.

The tall blond was only interested in the elf made blade Thorin had found in the troll hole - what seemed now half a lifetime ago but was actually - only a few days previously. The elf wanted to know how he had come by that weapon but Thorin would not have been Thorin if he had simply shared that piece of information just because somebody asked. He therefore had to live with being called not only a thief but a liar as well. I don't think it mattered to him, he could not have hated elves more than he already did.

When they herded us away Bofur realized that Bilbo had once again mysteriously disappeared. We hoped that was good news.

Being escorted through Mirkwood forest by our guard did have some major advantages. We did not need to fear a new attack and we were in no danger of getting lost again. But when I pointed my thoughts out nobody was willing to appreciate my positive thinking.

We crossed a bridge over what I assumed to be the river I had seen from way up in the tree tops and were marched through a high gate that looked depressingly impenetrable when it's two wings, made of two feet thick solid rock, closes behind us.

I was surprised to see we were inside a great cave, opening out to countless smaller ones, wide halls and narrow passages on every side. Through those passages lit by torches and crystal lanterns we were led to what turned out to be the dungeons where we were put into separate cells.

Blimey, I thought, Fili got his wish. Kili and I were locked up – and much to my chagrin NOT together.

At least I got the cell next to him and even though I could not see him I would be able to talk to him.

And hear him. I hardly trusted my ears when he actually asked the pretty red head elf who had captured us if she wasn't going to search him for he could have anything down his trousers! Was that the same dwarf taht had played shy with me when I...never mind.

She came back with a curt: "or nothing!" and banged his door shut. Had to snigger at that.

From my cell I also had a good view of the blond leader and the way his eyes shot daggers at Kili. Interesting.

The two tall and beautiful elf warriors exchanged a few words in their own language and I watched

them closely. Elves did not give away much, either through facial expressions or body language but I would have bet a lot – if I'd had it – that something was going on between those two. Redhead left my field of vision with a smug look on her pretty face and the blond followed her, not without sending another menacing glare at Kili.

I sat down with my back against the iron wrought door of my prison.

"You really have to stop flirting with elves," I prompted Kili in low tones, "they don't get the concept and don't think lightly of it. Especially if you are trespassing into someone else's territory."

"And who's territory would that be?"

"You just wait and see," I told him.

Suddenly I felt really tired and my belly ached as if had eaten something not quite right. A quick look through my cell did not reveal a door with a sign saying "Ladies" on it. Or "gents". Fabulous.

Worried by my silence Kili called my name. "Dalan? You are not really mad at me, are you?" Closing my eyes I smiled through my discomfort. "No, silly, of course I am not."

"You are not well," he finally picked up on something. "What is it?"

"Just tired, " I said , " I think I am going to take a nap." And that's what I did.


	8. Chapter 8

_Told you I would be updating fast. Hope you like :)_

I woke to the sound of muffled voices outside my cell. Not feeling much better but curious to learn what was going on I robbed back to the door. Who'd have thought, the foxy elf lady was back and engaged in a nice romantic conversation about moonlit nights and walks in starlight with no one else but my 'not listening to reason' dwarf in the next cell.

Rolling my eyes I sat by the door, ears pricked but their little chit chat seemed already have come to an end. Instead I became aware of the very still outline of a second eavesdropper looming on top of the stairs that led down to where Kili and I were locked up. Even from that distance I saw the daggers his eyes were throwing at my unsuspecting love.

A painful cramping sensation in my lower belly made me moan and redirected my attention to more personal matters, alerting at the same time Kili. "Dalan," he rattled his cage door. "Are you alright?"

"Not sure," I admitted when I felt something warm and wet spread between my legs. Banging my head on the door I chided myself for havinbg been so daft. "Kili, is your red headed friend still around?"

"No-o," he answered a bit hesitantly. Damn. I turned my head to see if her bodyguard had left too but no, he was in fact coming down the stairs, ready to give Kili a private lesson in proper behaviour around virginal elven maids. I almost felt sorry to have to break his stride but it could not be helped.

"Hey!" I waved at the elf with the killer blue eyes. His head jerked around but he was ready to ignore me for the greater good of putting an impertinant dwarf in place.

"Oy!" I called again with more determination. "If it's blood you want I can offer you some!" A bit blunt but it did the trick. He took a couple of steps towards me.

"Dalan?" Kili shook the iron bars theat kept him in again, "what's going on?!"

There was no time to answer him with a new cramp almost doubling me over.

"It's not really your blood I am after." The blond stood outside my cell watching me like an ugly stain on the floor. Well, he would have a good few of those if he wasn't going to help me.

"You'll get it want it or not," I informed him coolly, " since your cells are terribly ill equipped to meet the needs of female prisoners. Any prisoners, really but especially female ones."

Cold blue eyes was not moving.

"What I am saying is that I will bleed all over your lousy cell for the next few days, moaning like a cow in labour if you don't get me any painkillers and a good stash of sanitary towels." Understanding dawned behind his high forhead. "Guard!" he hollered down the passageway.

Kili in his cell was kind of loosing it. "Why is she bleeding? What are you doing to her?" he shouted but no one paid him any heed.

A guard came running and was told to unlock my door. I stood, another surge of pain making me clutch at my belly.

"Come!" the tall elf was not very sympathertic but at least he was taking some action.

Kili was still trying to pry the door from it's hinges, his knuckles white, his face furious and sick with worry. I put a hand over his when I passed his cell. "It's nothing ," I said soothingly, "just some female inconvenience."

The guard pulled me away and I staggered after the blond, the guard bringing up the rear.

Kili's shouting and rattling had brought all the dwarfs to their feet and the whole dungeon echoed with their loud if impotent threats and abuse. It was quite the spectacle.

We ventured up into some less narrow corridors and they let me into a windowless but decidedly nicer room with drapings on the wall and some basic furniture. "Get Tauriel," blond and bad tempered ordered the guard. I wasn't thrilled that he stayed with me while I felt another gush of blood trickle into my pants. Not wanting to soil the chair or small cot I sat on the stone floor, wrapping my coat tightly around me.

"Why are you dressed like an elf?" Of all the things he could have asked me! He stood stiff and glared disapprovingly but after days with Thorin Oakenshield that did not effect me at all. I had trained with the best.

"Because I had the good fortune to meet others of your kind who's politness and hospitality was as limitless as yours is lacking," I snapped.

"You have been to Rivendell," he concluded dryly. "They must have gone really soft if they have taken to cater to dwarfs." His eyes narrowed. "What business do you have with that lot anyway?"

I shrugged, body tensing with another cramp. "Didn't have anything better to do." Nothing but the truth but he didn't buy it. Couldn't blame him, I wouldn't have bought it either had our roles been reversed.

The clanging of keys put an end to his questions. Tauriel, being no other than the vixen haired elf lady, stepped inside. They conversed in elfish and she cocked her head in surprise but sprang into action right away. Now dhe was giving orders and the blond left without so much as to look back.

Well, I wasn't going to miss him either, though he was nice to look at if one was to be entirely honest.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?" Tauriel asked me after the door had been locked again.

"Didn't want to bleed on the furniture," I mumbled. "Look, this is a touch embarrassing I know but if I could get some towels, water, a bit of cotton and something for the pain, too, I would be much obliged." Not to mention clean clothes... "

"I have sent for everything, don't worry. Why haven't you prepared yourself?"

"With everything that has happened lately it was not exactly on top of my 'things to worry about' list."

Someone was at the door again. She went to answer and came back with a steaming cup and a basket filled with towels, soap and other useful things, a change of clothes draped over her arm.

After dropping the clothes on the cot and placing the basket on the floor she handed me the cup and sat down in front of me. That move took me by surprise and I studied her from close up.

She had, of course, fantastic skin. Two clear green eyes under delicately arched eyebrows and a wide mouth that seemed to be designed to laugh. Pity that laughing didn't look like the latest fashion in that elven realm.

"Drink!" she told me not unfriendly. "It will take away the pain and stops the bleeding within a few hours." I liked the sound of that and sipped the hot beverage that tasted sweet and creamy and made me think of chocolate. Just what a girl needs, I thought.

"Is it always that bad?" Tauriel seemed genuinely interested and reminded me that I was still crouching on the floor in bloodstained clothes. Hugging my mug with both hands I made up my mind not to dodge any more questions. "I have absolutely no idea," I said and before I lost my nerve told her my story. The short version.

Mug empty and story finished I got to my feet. "Now you know as much as I do." Minus a few saucy details about me and a certain dwarf and a missing hobbit. She stood, too. "That is a most extraordinary tale," she mused. "You should have stayed and let Lord Elrond help you." "Maybe, but I had to get my priorities in order."

The cramping had stopped and I thanked her warmly. "I think I should get cleaned and I am sure you have better things to do than hang out with the prisoners." Even though she seemed to do that quite a lot...

"Didn't you mention a celebration earlier on?" I asked innocently. "Yes, the feast of starlight," she confirmed.

"And you are very fond of starlight I understand...sure there will be wine and song and dance...sounds like the place to be tonight," I probed further.

She cocked her head again in that charming manner and offered me a sweet smile. "You are right. Get changed and comfortable. There is water in the corner over there and everything else you need you'll find in the basket."

With that she let herself out and the clanging of keys assured me that I need not try to jail break.

Stripping out of my sticky, soaked leggins I went to inspect the newest wonder of elven plumbing in the corner Tauriel had pointed at. Not nearly as posh as the fancy pool at Rivendell, the small fountain with a tap was by all means sufficient and soon I was proper clean and padded in my new clothes, that were not all too different from my old stained ones.

Sitting down on the low cot I tried to appraise my current situation. Accommodation was a lot better now but I was alone, meaning separated from Kili yet again and I did not like that at all. In fact I was going to demand to be taken back to my old cell from the next living thing to show his or her face . But the next living thing was Tauriel who had come back, a mischievous glint in her eyes and a tray with a large carafe of wine and two goblets in hands.

That friendly, conspiratorial gesture simply blew away all my heroic intentions and I really did fancy a glass of wine. Besides, it was not as if Kili was going anywhere anytime soon...

"Tauriel," I greeted her delighted, " you are a genius!" I took the glasses, plunked down on the cot and leaned my back against the wall and patted the space next to me. A bit shy but with that annoying effortless grace she sat and put the tray with the wine between us.

"Is the party already over?" I asked and held out the goblets for her to pour. She filled them with deep red wine and took one. "I did not feel like seeing...people." What people I wondered but did not ask just yet. Instead I raised my glass for a toast. "To the here and now!"

The wine was sweet but rich and strong and sent my taste buds into overdrive. "Oh my god!" I cried, "what is this!?" She smacked her lips and looked smug. "That is from the king's private stock."

Did I detect some slight contempt towards that king? "Who is your king?"

"Thranduil," she articulated the name with great emphasis, "he is Legolas' father."

"And Legolas would be...?"

"The one who brought you here."

Ha, hadn't I known it! Here we had another princely heartbreaker with difficult family ties. I was pretty sure, even for all her grace, that she was about as much a princess as I was. Well, theoretically of course I could be...but whom was I fooling, I had callouses on my hands! No, we were both not eligible material for the royal gene pool.

Tauriel had downed her glass and was getting a refill. Wait for me! I gulped down the potent liquid and she refilled my glass as well.

"I have to warn you," I wanted to be fair, " I have a reputation for being quite outspoken. I don't know that drinking will make me less so. If I offend you in the course of the evening I will not be held responsible." She laughed, "I have come unarmed, have no fear."

"Hm, then I seem to be at an advantage here." I showed her my little dagger. Tauriel eyebrows went up.

"How did you get that past the guards?"

Now it was my turn to look smug. "Maybe you should have indeed searched everybody's trousers when you had the chance."

Her eyes dared me, "You are right, I have gravely neglected my duties. I shall go and make sure I have missed...nothing."

She made to get up but I pulled her down. "You stay right here and you will trust me when I say there is nothing in my dwarf's trousers that is of any interest to you."

"Your dwarf?"

Ooops. "That dwarf," I defended weakly but then decided to attack. "If I were you I'd concentrate on investigating somebody elses princely trousers. Even though they are so tightly cut they don't hide...much." That'll show her, hmpf.

"What is or is not in Legolas' trousers is of no concern to me." She had started on her third goblet.

"But it should be." I grabbed the carafe and topped up my own. "I have the distinct feeling that he would not mind you making it your concern."  
Tauriel downed her fresh refill of wine in one go. I decided to skip that round.

"Only today have been told in no uncertain terms by Thranduil that I must not give Legolas hope where there is none because he will not allow his son to pledge himself to a low sylvan elf. That would be me." She pointed at herself in a dramatic gesture that made her almost drop the goblet.

That sounded bitter, I had to agree and sympathetically poured her more wine.

"So what if he doesn't allow it," I tried to cheer her up, "who cares. I have been told pretty much the same but in the end it didn't matter. We meet in secret, we sneak away like teenagers but I treasure every moment I have with him between being chased by orcs, trolls, goblins, bears or spiders, all of them disgustingly oversized. With half the population of middle earth out to eat or merely kill us and the other half set on locking us up I don't think we have much time to waste."

Now she sported a big grin. "That dwarf," she mocked me.

Boy, had I let my mouth run away with my tongue. And if. "MY dwarf," I corrected once and for all, "and his name is Kili."

"He is different, that one," Tauriel said thoughtfully, "He said things I never expected to hear from a dwarf."

"And how many dwarfs have you met before?"

She concentrated on a spot on the ceiling and seemed to be counting a long time. "None."

I giggled. "That clearly makes you the expert!"

Another refill of goblets and the carafe was empty. "Pity," I sighed and set it aside holding up my drink for another toast.

"Here is to handsome princes and to love that conquers all!" We clinked glasses.

"Tauriel?"

"Hm?"

"Do you know what plans your king has with us?"

She sent me an apologetic look. "If Thorin Oakenshield does not relent he will most likely let you rot in your cells until the next age. Not that any of you will live to see it."  
Bugger, I thought, knowing very well that relenting was not on Thorin's ability menu. "Then can I at least apply for a nice double cell with a fellow prisoner of my choice?"

She grinned more. "You'd have to formally apply for that with the captain of the guard who will examine your reasons for such a request and make a decision according to her findings."

"That counts as a yes, I suppose." I did believe in positive thinking after all. "Make it soundproof though."

"Why?" She frowned, "do you fight a lot?"

I had been taking another swig from my half empty goblet and ended up snorting into the precious wine. "No, not regularly," I said, wiping drops of my nose.

"So?" she was still waiting for an explanation. There I had been thinking we we had established the nature of my relationship with Kili and she went all 'Nuriel' on me. Could she really be so clueless?

After all, she had been joking about the contents of trousers and such.

"Ehem", I cleared my throat, "some people can be quite vocal when eh- in the throes of passion."

I was pleased with my diplomatic phrasing even while under the influence of the kings best vintage.

She thought about it for a long moment then her eyes grew even larger. "You mean you actually...you did...you do...?

"Whenever I can get my hands on him," I confessed, "Which does not happen nearly often enough."

"There is a word for women like you!"

"Lucky?" I hazarded a guess.

"Not exactly, no." Shew shook her pretty head.

"I don't have the luxury of immortality, you know." Sometimes those elves needed to be reminded of the fact that for us mortals each day we lived, at the end of a day, also meant a day less the to live. "Told you I'd shock you before the night was through." Taking the last sip of wine I closed my eyes.

"It's outrageous!"

"Says who?"

"Everybody!"

"And that makes it true?"

"There must be rules!" she cried.

"Bugger the rules," I said drowsily waving my empty glass in her direction. "You should try it, it's very liberating."

I stole a sly glance at her. Her usual elven composure seemed to have been washed away by the wine. One could see the thoughts behind he eyes racing. Lightly punching her arm I said a bit slurred but honestly: "You are a free spirit at heart or you wouldn't be sitting here with me. You would not have spoken to a dwarf about starlight and fire moons if you were not curious about the world outside this forest. You care, you are the one who is different and I bet that is what your prince likes about you. Which indicates in return that he is probably also more than his stiff, arrogant and prejudiced outer shell. Give him a chance to prove it. Give the two of you a chance. What is the worst the king can do? Ban you? Disinherit him? Kill you both?"

She looked at me as if seeing me for the first time.

"You put my innermost secrets and hidden dreams out in the open making me look weak and cowardly. I don't know whether to thank you or cut your tongue out. With you own dagger!"

"I suggest you do neither right now," I replied ruefully. "The hangover I will have in the morning will serve as punishment until you've made up your mind." Mournfully I eyed the empty carafe. "Wish I could just keep drinking," I mumbled.

"Elven wine does not cause headaches," she assured me, "but all those thoughts in my head surely will." She stood, still gracefully and I tried to despise her for it but could not find the energy. "I wish I could keep drinking, too." Taking the tray with goblets and carafe she fumbled for her keys and opened the door, balancing the tray somewhat precariously. "I am not saying I am taking your advise, it would be..." she was searching for the right word.

"Fun?" I suggested.

"The end of everything I know," she ignored my efforts. "But I will think about everything once I have a clearer head."

Even with her not so clear head she remembered to lock me in.

Crashing down on my bunk I replayed the very interesting evening. Maybe I should stop telling people what to do with their lives and leave them to their own customs and ways. My own experience had taught me that seemingly normal actions could have massive consequences in this world. There obviously was some reason behind some of the rules I had been breaking. But it had not been without benefit, right? So maybe from tomorrow I'd stop interfering. Or the day after...

Thinking of MY dwarf in his lonely cell I fell asleep.

The next day came, or so I assumed. In a windowless room night and day are a bit difficult to tell apart. Like Tauriel had promised the drinks had not caused a nauseating aftermath and checking the padding in my pants showed that the bloodflow had indeed stopped. That was all good news, but something had changed. Kili wasn't in his cell anymore, of that I was sure. The dwarfs had once more managed to achieve the impossible and were on the run again. Without me!

Pacing back and forth in my room like a caged lion I almost toppled over with a scream when a sharp pain hit my right leg. Hopping to the cot on my left I massaged the hurting thigh and could not believe it. Let that dwarf out of sight for a few hours and the next thing you know he is in trouble again!

Concentrating hard on him I saw water, orcs and fighting but it wasn't too clear, the pain distorting the picture. Blocking the connection I limped to the door and started banging on it and when that did lead to any success I added shouting to the banging. No one came. Realizing the futility of my tantrum I huddled in the corner of the bunk and waited, waited, waited for what felt like half an eternity before I heard the familiar clanging of keys and the door flew open. Tauriel!

"Come quick!" she ordered and turned at once. Trying with all my might to ignore the pain I ran after her through the cave. We came to the great entrance and rushed straight through it, with Tauriel shouting a few orders at the guards there. Over the bridge and down to the river she led me and by the water we stopped. She retrieved a bow and quiver from a hollow tree "Take it, I have seen you know how to use it."

"Tauriel, what is going on?" I panted, rubbing my thigh, to no effect.

"The dwarfs have escaped," she said, already on the go.

"Wait!" I shouted. "Why are you taking me to hunt them?" She stopped and turned to me. "There is no hunt. The king has ordered everybody inside the cave. He wants nothing more to do with them."

"Then what are you doing here?"

She heaved a sigh. "We have to get to them, and fast." There was more she wanted to say but didn't.

"Kili is wounded," I stated flatly.

She had not been expecting that. "How do you know?"

"He has been hit in the thigh, to be more precise. It hurts but he will live."

Her face was the usual mask but her eyes were avoiding me. "That would be the case if it was just an arrow. The weapons of Mordor unfortunately carry a dark spell. The evil magic will fester in his body and claim him. He will not only be dead to the world but his soul we be lost to the dark."

The shock of hearing that was more than enough to spur me on."Then why are we still here?!"

We followed the river, coming across a lot of death. First mainly corpses of orcs, later bodies of animals, badly mutilated. Tauriel explained that an orc would never just pass a living thing and leave it unharmed. He had to end that life. It was a sad trail we followed.

I knew Tauriel would have been much faster without me and begged her to go on but she would not hear of it. When we reached the mouth of the river at the lake I had seen from the treetops before our run in with the spiders I collapsed on the shore. "Now what? Please don't say we have to swim!"

Though I would if I had to.

"There must be a boat close by," Tauriel was sure. "Stay and rest but be alert. I will search the shore."

Grateful for the break I closed my eyes for a second and when I opened them again she was pointing an arrow at her blond prince who in turn was aiming at her. I held my breath but then he smiled. "You cannot hunt thirty orcs all alone." Both lowered there weapons. "But I am not alone," she pointed out.

"You knew I would come." Obviously I did not count and they went on arguing without paying me any attention. Only a deaf dumb and blind person could miss how those two felt about each other, I thought. Trying to sense Kili was getting harder. He was still alive, the pain I felt was prove enough of that but the images were still blurry, even more so than before. Was the dark magic interfering with our bond? Galadriel had said it could not be undone but she probably had not put evil spells into the equation.

The two elves seemed to have reached an understanding. Tauriel came to me, Legolas went in search for a means to cross the lake.

"It did not take you long to think things over after last night," I stated.

"You more or less hit me on the head with the truth. It was impossible to ignore once it had been said."

"He seems to have made his choice as well," I nodded towards Legolas who waved for us to follow him.

Tauriel held out a hand for me and pulled me up. She did not answer but looked very content.

Legolas had indeed spotted a small boat, not much more than a canoe, with two paddles. He let us take our seats then pushed us away from the shore and jumped in. I gladly let the two grown ups do the paddling, they seemed to have a never ending supply of energy while mine was running alarmingly low. Wincing I rubbed at my thigh repeatedly but of course it had no effect.

"She is not well," Legolas, the perceptive. "Why did you bring her?" Perceptive and rude. I so loved it when people talked about me over my head.

"Dalan is the wounded dwarf's mate, she has every right to be here." Thank you girlfriend, you have permission to speak for me any time.

"But what is wrong with her? Did you not help her yesterday?" He was not quite up to date with my fast changing ailings.

"She feels his pain," Tauriel explained.

That finally seemed to get his attention. "How is that possible?"

I could not keep quiet anymore. "If you had the mind to just ask ME I could shed a little light on that."

Two pairs of pointed ears were pricked in anticipation so I revealed the whole bonding scenario and what various characters had to say about it.

I should not have been surprised at the only thing that seemed to have registered with Legolas.

"Galadriel?" he echoed not even trying to conceal his doubt, "the queen of Lothlorien?"

"She was not wear a name tag saying 'Queen of whatever' but tall, wavy shining blond hair, ocean blue eyes, divine voice, dressed in white, probably glowing in the dark, one second here gone the next. That type."

They did not appreciate my description of the lady in such a flippant manner but honestly I'd had enough of being blatantly doubted every time I dared mention her in context with myself. As if I left a smudge on her moonshine dress. Crossing my arms in front of me I stared ahead, into the far distance across the water, where I knew Kili was, willing him to be strong.

The two elves spoke quietly in their own language, which I found oddly soothing despite the fact that I did not understand a word. It had a special, almost hypnotizing quality to it and it helped fighting the pain.

The distance to the far shore shrank fast and we could now make out the outlines of a large settlement. "Lake Town," Legolas explained. Behind it, mostly hidden by thick, low hanging gray clouds I caught glimpses of the kingdom Thorin hoped to regain. "What do you know of the lonely mountain?" I asked the elven prince. He was practically living in the neighbourhood, he must have all the information I lacked. Even though his point of view was probably heavily biased.

"Enough to wish it wasn't there," he answered bluntly. Was that an attempt at humour? I wasn't sure and feared he would not say more but after a few silent strokes with his paddle he continued.

"Erebor was once a great kingdom. The dwarfs traded with men and elves alike and everybody prospered. But the dwarfs got too greedy. Their king, Thorin's grandfather Thrain, only sought to increase his treasure and as it grew word spread and it reached the ears of one with an even more unquenchable thirst for gold. He came and destroyed first the town of Dale, now only ruins and graves, and then he took the mountain and the treasure." He made a dramatic pause long enough to fit a commercial block into.  
"Well?" I finally caved in, "who came?!"

"Smaug!" They both chimed together in perfect harmony but their lovely duet did nothing to enlighten me.

"Who is Smaug?" They shared a look as if to say 'who is going to break the news to the kid?'

"Oh, come on," I groaned, " what is it this time? No, let me guess! A giant cockroach?"

"Dragon." Legolas' voice was dark and completely devoid of humour.

Dragon. Of course, a dragon. How could I have missed that? Biting back the urge to break into hysterical giggling I stared at the sky, half expecting to see a mighty dragon swoop down and steal me away. But dragons were known to prefer virgins, that meant I was not going to be his target of choice, whereas...

Shaking my head I tried to cling to my last threads of sanity. What was this madness I was living in? Had I maybe gone insane and all this was not more but the delusional ramblings of a very sick mind? It certainly seemed a much more realistic explanation than me actually sitting in a tiny boat with two elves talking about dragons while on the way to save a dwarf from blood poisoning by black magic.

But an insane mind would not try to find a rational explanation, or would it? And even if everything else sounded totally surreal, my feelings for said dwarf were as real as anything could ever be. He was in every cell and fiber of my body and soul. Logical or not, for him I would put up with any old crap this world was going to throw at me. A dragon? Bring it on, baby!

In the meantime I had a much more pressing problem. Even though I still could sense Kili it felt far from right, as if he was going through a transformation. He was fighting it but was getting weaker and fast.

"We need to hurry," I told Legolas as a not so direct reply to his dropping the dragon bomb. Another meaningful look passed between him and Tauriel but to give them credit, they did their best to up the speed.


	9. Chapter 9

We reached Lake Town under cover of the falling dawn. Dark clouds over the lake swallowed most of the light the moon and stars would have cast otherwise and the town seemed to be saving on lantern oil.

Legolas tied the boat outside the town walls under a willow, who's branches were hanging low into the water, to hide it from being spotted by accidental passers by.

I had to rely entirely on the elves who besides all else also possessed the eyesight of cats and the stealth of a deadly virus. We sidestepped the guards on the walls unseen and heard, no thanks to me, for I kept running into and stumbling over things.

Lake Town was build not on the lake but in it. Stilt houses were raised on piles over the water and up to three storeys high, while lower warehouses perched above the surface of the lake between them. Wooden pavements and bridges allowed the inhabitants to move on foot between locations but it was obvious that most of Lake Town's traffic happened in the canals.

The elves stopped for a moment for clues where to turn. For once I could be of help. "That way," I pointed them into the right direction. It was getting very hard to concentrate on anything but the pain and a terrible fear that seemed to be taking me over. Legolas did not doubt me this time. Sticking to the shadows and dark corners we stayed out of sight of the few people who were too busy to spend the frosty evening in front of a nice fire.

"How far?" Legolas asked. Taking a deep breath and dreading the overwhelming sensations I was going to experience I turned up the volume of my inner 'Radio Kili' and got a lot more than I bargained for.

"Tauriel," I gasped, "Orcs! They found them. Maybe two blocks ahead. Run please!"

They were gone before I had finished. I staggered after them like a drunkard and saw some orcs run from the building in which the dwarfs had found shelter but before I reached the landing to the stairway an all consuming surge of pain slammed me to the ground. I heard Kili scream upstairs but was not able to move. Looking up I saw Legolas jump from the balcony, his hair like halo in the dim light, chasing after the fleeing orcs. Spasms of fear and pain kept me on the ground. Bofur came running, a bundle of leaves in his hands and without noticing me, writhing in agony under the stairs, he dashed up. Upstairs, where Kili was. I had to get upstairs. If this was the end then I needed to be with him. Darkness was closing in on me but I fought it back with all I had, also willing Kili to hold on.

Then I heard Tauriel on the stairs, saying: "I'm going to save him."

Activating every bit of energy left in my tortured body I crawled to the first step and up, and then another and another. Halfway there I felt a slight change for the better. The blackness that had almost claimed Kili and had spread to me lightened some and it became easier to move. The last few steps I climbed like a very tired but not anymore broken animal. Slouching in the doorway I took in the scene before me.

Kili lying on a kitchen table, surrounded by a rather large crowd, his head in a ridiculous pillow of walnuts, skin ashen and damp, holding another woman's hand, dead orcs decorating the floor. It was the most beautiful sight in the world. I sobbed audibly and made everybody turn their heads. "Dalan!" Fili exclaimed and rushed to help me stand.

Tauriel smiled down on Kili, "It was not a dream and I know for a fact that she loves you." She stepped out of the way so he would see me.

Eyes still unfocused grew wide as he slowly re-entered reality. Wobbly but with Fili to support me I made it to the table.

"Did I not tell you to stop flirting with elves? Now look at you! I turn my back for a moment and you are holding hands with the first elf to show her pretty face. Even in the state you're in!"

Laughing through tears I took hold of his free hand.

"And you?" I turned to Tauriel, "Don't you have your own prince to chase after?" Her smile faded.

"Where did he go?"

"Raced after the orcs that got away. Roughly towards were we left the boat."

She put Kili's hand with mine. "Take care of each other," she said and was already at the door.

"Tauriel!" I shouted after her,projecting the overwhelming gratitude I felt , "don't be a stranger!"

"You bring the wine next time!" A last smile and she was gone.

"What just happened?" Fili was one dwarfen sized question mark.

"A miracle," I told him and wiped more tears from my face.

"I have heard tell of the healing magic of elves," Oin muttered in awe, "but to bear witness to it's power was truly an honour."

"Dalan," Kili whispered, finally willing to believe he was not dreaming, " I thought I'd lost you. He said you were only a dream and that it was all over. I would never sleep again..."

"Shhhh, don't speak, love. You need to rest." Stroking his sweaty face I leaned heavy on the table.

"You both do!" Fili declared. "Lads, let's get Kili to a bed, then we clean the house of bodies before they start to rot into the carpets!"

Kili protested but was to weak to fight them when they lifted him off the table and carried him into a chamber next to the kitchen, where they settled him on a single bed. The dwarfs only nodded at me when I sat down on a stool beside Kili, taking his hand again and shuffled back to the kitchen. Fili clasped my shoulder.

"I will have to talk to them," he said to his brother who did not look as if he cared much, and left us.

We did nothing but stare at each other for the longest time. The colour slowly returned to Kili's face but he was still shaken and so was I for we both knew now what damnation looked like. It was your soul being sucked from your body and thrown into everlasting darkness with only pain and fear for company.

Without Tauriel Kili would have been gone by now, and so would have I. She had in fact saved us both.

"It's over now," I whispered softly. "The blackness was the dream this is the truth." I kissed him gently, infinitely happy when he responded. Not a kiss to arouse passion but to reassure us that we were indeed together and we would keep on fighting everyone and everything that tried to come between us.

Fili returned with a plate of food and a jug of water and I could have kissed him, too. He set the plate on the bed side table, smiling fondly at Kili who was half asleep and looked much better.

"Hey, brother! You gave us a good fright back there." Fili plunked down on the edge of the bed. "And one day you have to tell me how you do it.. At death's door and the girls are still fighting over you!"

Kili grinned with eyes closed. "You either have it or you don't."

Fili snorted and became serious. "I had to tell the guys about the two of you. Thorin won't be hearing it from them, though."

"No he won't," Kili agreed, "he will be hearing it from me. I'm done with secrets and pretending. Time is too precious for that. He can keep his bloody mountain if he does not approve. I don't want any of it. He would not even take me with him after all we have been through."

"You'd be dead now if he had." Fili stated matter of factly. And that was the truth.

I did not want them to start an argument over it. "You should sleep ," I reminded Kili.

"So should you," Fili reminded me.

"In a bit," I sighed and eyed the food longingly. His brother already had drifted off. "We can share dinner if you like." He did and I was thankful for the company. My appetite was not big but I had to regain some strength.

Fili was unusually quiet. He had been sick with worry over Kili, too. I asked him to tell me what had happened since their escape from Mirkwood and tiredly he filled me in.

"Do you really think Kili would go against Thorin?" I understood that Kili had been devastated at being left behind but his uncle had done the only right thing.

"No," Fili was sure, " he will want to storm that mountain first thing in the morning, you'll see."  
"But why are you still here?" I wanted to know.

"He is my brother," the blond simply said.

We both looked at the sleeping dwarf we both loved more than anything else, lost in our own thoughts which I suspected to run along similar lines and was I proven right when Fili voiced his: "We were so close to loosing him." He shook his head. "I don't know how I would have gone on without him."

"That is one problem I would not have," I replied gloomily.

"What do you mean?" He frowned. Did he think I would not care? I offered him a sad smile.

"I don't think I would outlive him long enough to worry about a future without him."

Fili's frown deepened. "What are you saying?"

"Do you know about this...thing we share?" He nodded, studying me with great concern now.

"What I am saying is that if he were to die, so would I, and probably vice versa but of that I can't be sure."

"No!" he objected vehemently. " That is not the way it works. I have never heard of such a thing."

I tore my eyes away from Kili's face, now peaceful and relaxed in sleep and looked straight at his brother.

"We may have jumped into the deep end of the lake, he and I." Fili was still incredulous.

"I was as close to death as he was, I have felt the dark force trying to pry my soul from my flesh. Tauriel has saved us both today and in the nick of time."

"Are you certain of this?"

"As much as one can be without actually having done it. And you will NOT speak to Kili of this!" I added with sudden determination.

"But he needs to..."  
"What he does not need is to worry about me if he finds himself in a bad situation, as seems to be a habit with him."

We locked eyes in a staring contest. In the end it was he who looked away as I knew he would.

"Agreed, but I will watch over you, too."

Tiredness washed through me. "I promised not to be a burden but that is exactly what I have become. A burden and a hazard."

"It's not your fault, how were you supposed to know?"

I ignored him, bending my head and hiding the tears that began to fall again behind my matted and tangled hair.. "And now I put the burden on you as well, please forgive me but I thought you should know."

"Dalan!" Fili grabbed my hands. "Stop it. Don't blame yourself. Our lives have always been risky. We are thriving on trouble! What else would we be making songs about? Happy days,? Like elves?"

He checked on his brother then sought my eyes again. "Forget your dark thoughts. We are still alive and we will take the days and dangers as they come. Together. We are not hobbits to shy away from an adventure, or elves, contend to admire a blooming tree for a hundred years. We are Durin's folk and we live life to the fullest. If trouble does not find us we will go looking for it!" His eyes sparkled as if in anticipation of future obstacles to overcome.,..dragons to defeat and such.

"You are not a burden but the secret ingredient that adds the extra flavour."

He'd done it again, he made me smile. "The whiskers in the broth of life," I chuckled through tears.

Kili nodded encouragingly.

"Now get into bed with your dwarf and sleep!" he ordered and stood up but he was still holding my hands in his and I took advantage of that to pull him closer and wrapped my arms around him. "Thank you for being so wonderful."

He hugged me back. "You are my sister." Then he let go and made for the door. "Sleep tight!"

I lay down next to Kili, careful not to disturb him and snuggled close, not minding the stench of fish, sickness and sweat his clothes gave off but thanking the powers that were that he was still here for me to hold and love. My last thought though, before sleep set in, was for Tauriel and how much I owed her.

Sleep was deep and dreamless but the respite did not last very long. Came dawn a dragon was upon us.

Shouts and bells ringing throughout Lake Town woke us with the first light creeping through the only window in the room. I was out in a heartbeat to see what the noise was about but the door flew open before I got there.

"Smaug!" was all Fili shouted and disappeared again.

The dragon had come to pay Lake Town a visit and it was not a friendly one between neighbours.

I swirled around to see Kili sitting on the bed, a bewildered look on his face but otherwise seemingly restored.

"Smaug," he repeated, eyes darting across the room, "they have woken him."

"Yes, and he is clearly not a morning dragon." I knelt before Kili. "How are you? Can you walk? I think we have to get out of here and quick."

He got up and put weight on his injured leg. His face lightened up. "Yes, I am fine! Where are my weapons?" Eager to throw his just recovered health to the dragon.

"Come!" I went through to the kitchen where the children of Bard the bowman were huddled together and the dwarfs frantically searched for anything that could be used as arms. They had collected what they could from the slain orcs which was probably better than nothing. Fili did not stop to say good morning but threw me the bow Tauriel had given me and that I had lost the night before at the foot of the stairs.

Breakfast was canceled for yet another day. Fili ushered us and the kids out and to the ground level.

The teenage boy shouted that he had to find his father, who was the only one who knew how to defeat the dragon.

"They must hold him in the dungeons, we have to get him out of there!" Fili considered this for a second. People were running in panic over the planks and bridges, desperately clutching children or belongings, shoving and pushing their way through the crowd and many ended up in the ice cold lake water.

Fili had come to a decision and grabbed the boy by the shoulders. "Do you know where Bard is being held?" The boy nodded and darted off. We fought our way against the stream of townsfolk to follow him, the dwarfs trying to keep the two girls protected between them.

Suddenly there was a loud swooshing noise from above. An enormous shadow passed over our heads and we all gaped at the spectacle above.

It was, unmistakably, a dragon. A huge, winged, long as a freight train dragon that seemed to glow from the inside. With clawed feet he ripped a house off the ground in passing and dropped it randomly over the city. A few beats of his mighty wings he turned and headed back, as if aiming right at us.

Kili risked a shot with my bow but the arrow did not even scratch the scale of the fantastic beast. It was terrifying but also beautiful to behold. Then the dragon opened his mouth.

"In the water!" Fili yelled and pushed whoever he could reach off the sidewalk.

'No, not the water,' I begged inwardly but was already sent flying, tackled by Kili. We broke through he surface of the lake together and not a millisecond too soon. Even submerged in the freezing cold lake I felt the heat of the dragon fire as it burned through the air and over the space we had occupied only a heartbeat ago.

Coming up for breath we sputtered and gasped from the cold but safe for the moment, as Smaug had moved on to wreak his havoc on another part of the defenseless town.

We struggled to get out of the water, the dwarfs almost being pulled down by their thick clothes and heavy boots.

Fili took command over the situation once we were back on what had remained of the sidewalk.

"Oin, Bofur, take the girls to safety. We will find Bard." He gave orders with authority and confidence and the two obeyed without hesitation. "Bain," Fili next turned to the boy, "show us the way."

We resumed our steeplechase through the chaos to stop at an ugly, low, yet miraculously undamaged building that served as the town prison.

Bard's shouting could be heard long before we actually saw him. He was kept in a cell half underground, desperately trying to rip the iron bars of the glassless window out of the wall. Nobody paid him any attention. The guards were obviously busy with more pressing matters, presumably their own escape.

It did not take Fili and Kili long to free the prisoner who did not waste time with niceties. The tall man clutched his son's shoulders in a hard grip. "Bain, where is the arrow? Have you hidden it? Can we get to it now?" The boy nodded and led the way again.

He had stashed the precious arrow, allegedly the only weapon fit to kill the dragon, in a canoe near his home.

In the sky Smaug unleashed his wrath once again over Lake Town. Most of the buildings were torn down or burning already, the flames blazing hot around us.

Bard grabbed the bundle with the arrow and turned back to his son. "Where are your sisters?"

"The other dwarfs are taking care of them." His father shot a look at Kili and Fili that made clear he was not convinced that was the best of possibilities. "You have to leave. Hide in the forest outside town. It will be over soon, one way or another."

Bain shook his head furiously. "No! I am not leaving you Da!"

This time Bard's look at the dwarfs was imploring. "Take the boy to safety. You owe me that much. I need to get to the wind lance, we only have this one chance!"

"No!" Bain cried, "Dad, I want to stay with you!" is father did not yield. In the end Fili nodded.

"Bain, you go now." Bard's voice was like steel but full of suppressed emotions. One last hard look at his son and he fought his way to the watchtower from where he intended to shoot at the dragon.

The boy tried to run after him but Kili and Fili held him fast. "You heard your father boy. Come away!"

They more or less dragged the unhappy youth with them, through the desolation.

"I am sure Bofur and Oin have taken the girls to the forest, too. They will need you more than your father does right now." Fili sought to convince Bain and make him give up his resistance and it seemed to work. He tagged along but looked broken hearted.

As we left the town behind us we could see Smaug flying his devastating attacks on the last few intact structures. One of them the watchtower with the wind lance, as if the dragon had waited for his opponent to arrive for the showdown.

"We should have stayed," Bain said with tears in his eyes. Everybody's eyes were now on the solitary tower in the water. "He is there," Kili who had the sight of a hawk said. All I could see was sort of a smudge against the flaming background but was fully prepared to trust him on that.

"Bain! Bain!" Two girls came running towards us and hugged their brother. Two anxious dwarfs followed them and with troubled faces stood next to Fili and Kili.

Around us other townspeople had gathered, understanding that something crucial was about to happen.

The dragon did an artistic roll in the air and surged back toward the literally last man standing in Lake Town and showered the watchtower in an infernal gush of fire. It seemed impossible that something, let alone someone could have withstood the brutal force of those flames but the unfathomable happened.

While the onlookers on the shore stood in shocked silence and only the sobs of Bard's daughters could be heard the dragon began to flop uncontrollably. He tilted to one side, tried to regain balance and

failed. Loosing height quickly he crashed into the remains of the town. Flames rose even higher and a horrendous roaring made my skin crawl, then silence.

A few moments passed then the crowd began cheering like one man.

Kili looked to his brother. "I believe Bard jumped into the lake. We need a boat."

A boat! "I have a boat!" I shouted "Come!"

Pretty sure we were not far from the spot where Legolas had tied the small vessel the night before I ran to the lake to look for the willow, the brothers behind me. Yes, there the branches of the willow graced the water's surface and the boat was still tied underneath!

Kili and Fili had it out on the lake in no time and began paddling to the spot where Kili thought he had seen Bard hit the water. Bard's daughters were clinging to each other, Bain scanned the water for any sign of his father. "It will be alright," I tried to reassure them and myself, even though I thought it very unlikely that anyone could have survived Smaug's attack and the fall of the tower. A good distance away out on the lake the brothers stopped to pull something into the boat. "Dad!" Bain screamed at the top of his lungs. Kili waved frantically and I felt his great relief. "Your father is alive," I told the children who clung to each other.

Some people had already ventured back to their wasted homes but the main crowd had stayed on to see how the drama would unfold. Now a new round of cheers rose from the shore.

With the boat only a few meters away, Bain could not be held back any longer. He jumped into the water and waded deeper to meet the dwarfs and his father.

Helpful hands dragged the boat ashore and lifted Bard out to lower him on the ground.

His hair was singed and he had burns on his face and hands but no life threatening injuries. He must have had an army of guardian angels watch over him. Holding his children in a tight embrace he just lay there for a minute while the people started to chant his name. I moved closer to the dwarfs who were slowly distancing themselves from the Lake Towners.

One did not have to be a mindreader to guess that they only had one burning wish now; to find out what had become of Thorin and the rest of the company.

It was easy to slip away unseen in the general excitement. Before anybody had missed us we were already halfway to the Lonely Mountain. None of the dwarfs spoke of their fear but after having witnesses the destruction of an entire town by Smaug nobody harboured much hope about the company's fate.


	10. Chapter 10

**Note: This is the last chapter I have ready for upload. I have a few more that need typing but my heart is not really in it. I would rather wait until the third movie is out but I am not sure yet what I will do. Since I will be on holiday for the next three weeks I'll have time to think about it. Whatever I shall decide, that story will not be abandoned. Thanks for sticking with me :)**

Again we traveled with light luggage, for once an advantage for we moved a lot faster than usual. Steam was rising from the dwarfs clothes, still wet from our earlier dive into the canal. It was quite the sight! My elven attire not only had dried much faster but also kept me cool and warm at the same time.

Maybe one could set up a small shop with selected elven beauty products and couture once things had cooled down in these parts. I amused myself with dreams of franchising my business throughout Middle Earth when our little group stopped at a well springing from the rocks next to our path up the mountain. The cold water tasted clean and healthy and reviving. Note to self: Add sparkling mineral water to range of goods on offer in shop!

My musings were brought to a halt by the sight of Oin, who ran his hands over some flat rocks by the well "Home", he sighed, sadness and joy in equal shares in his voice.

I stole a look at Kili. We had not really spoken all day. Everything that had happened the evening before and in the morning lay still there untouched. The feelings I got from him were mixed. I guessed that he was deeply troubled by the fact that he had not parted from Thorin on the best of terms. If Smaug had indeed killed his uncle, Kili would feel guilty for the rest of his life. There was not much I could do for him but share my firm believe that it took more than one dragon to finish off Thorin Oakenshield. Holding him back by the sleeve I leaned on a rock and just looked at him, while the other dwarfs continued their path up the Lonely Mountain. He tried to avoid my eyes but I waited patiently until he gave in to his need for comfort.

"I was so angry with him," he managed, voice full of regret, " I thought he believed me to be weak."

"Thorin would never think of you as weak. Don't waste your energy on worries now. You don't know that he is not already redecorating his old rooms."

Kili shook his head. " You saw the power of that dragon's wrath..." he started again but I cut him short.

"And you know Thorin Oakenshield. Much better than I do. Think! Why would Smaug be so mad? Because he had just killed a bunch of dwarfs?"

A flicker of hope started to flare up in Kili's eyes. "Or because he could not kill them!" He finished the thought for me.

"Exactly." An excited dwarf pulled me into an embrace that was over way too soon. I could only pray I had not raised his hopes in vain.

"Quick, we have to catch up!" We practically sprinted after the three dwarfs ahead, his leg wound did not seem to bother him the least anymore. My thoughts drifted to Tauriel and I wondered what had happened to her after she'd left Bard's house.

Kili relayed my thoughts to Bofur, Oin and Fili and for a minute they looked puzzled until Bofur's lips spread to a wide grin:" The lass has a good point there!" Nods and 'aye's' were exchanged and like one man they turned and continued up the serpentines of the trail even faster than before. I had no intention of storming after them but climbed up at a steady pace but in a somewhat numb state of mind. The path opened into a wider trail with steps hewn into the rock, which made the ascend easier but not less tiring.

The sun had disappeared behind the bulk of mountain when I came to a clearing that offered a great view over the area. I sat down in the grass for a rest. I could see the ruins of another town, that must have been Dale and smoke was still rising on the far shore of the lake. It would take months to restore Lake Town and that was only the buildings. The pain and sorrow the people had suffered would not be so easily forgotten.

After a while I heard somebody coming back down the trail. Smiling but not turning around I waited until Kili stood next to me.

"What are you doing?" He squatted down beside me. I pointed at the smoke in the distance. "Not enjoying the view. And you?"

I pointed at the smoke in the distance. "Not enjoying that view. And you?"

"I don't want to go without you," he simply said. "Are you coming?"

I smoothed back a good amount of wild black hair from his face. "First I need to tell you something."

He tried not to look concerned. "How bad is it?"

"Oh, it's pretty bad," I teased him which did make him look concerned. "What is it?" My brave dwarf braced himself for the worst.

"I love you."

He laughed so hard he almost lost his balance. "I know that!"

"Even if, I really wanted to say it."

"Say it again," he nudged me with a knee.

"I love you, Kili."

His eyes shone with warmth and he kissed me in that way that made my insides melt and rebuild themselves as fun park for endorphines, serotonin, dopamin and all the other lovely stuff that released itself happily into my bloodstream whenever his lips touched mine.

"I could say the same," he whispered when he gave me some time to breathe, "but I'd rather show you." Taking my hand he stood. "But not here. Come, let's see if we can make this mountain truly our home."

My tiredness was all but forgotten. I was ready to climb another five lonely mountains if needed to get to a place where Kili could make good of his promise.

"You were right, you know, the others are well. We have found signs at the entrance."

"I am very glad to hear that," I said. Maybe the dangerous part of the quest was really over and life would be comfortably normal in the near future.

The main entrance into the dwarf kingdom of Erebor had not been used since Smaug had taken over the Lonely Mountain, it's vast landing covered in rubble, earth and fallen rocks but the two enormous stone guardians to the left and right of the gate were undamaged by war, weather and time. High as skyscrapers they stood watch next to sculptured columns and ornaments cut onto the face of the mountain, framing an entrance that looked tiny in comparison.

Something must have broken through that gate recently and shards of gold shimmered on the ground.

Smiling I pointed at the print of a large shoeless foot in the dust. Kili nodded, spinning around and taking in the scenery.

"Looks like you made it," I commented quietly. "How do you feel?"

He shrugged. "Not as thrilled as I thought I would be." He still had not gotten over the fact that he had not been present when the main action had taken place and seemed reluctant to even enter.

Well, we had not come that far to be lingering outside. I tugged at his hand and we stepped into the kingdom of Erebor together.

The elven cave in Mirkwood had been a gigantic labyrinth of stone but nothing could have prepared me for this. After a few meters through a wide but dark corridor the walls around us just fell away and we looked upon a city carved from the bowels of the mountain. Roads of solid rock led to and from buildings and further up and down. We could not see the opposite side of the cave. The dwarfs had as good as hollowed out the mountain. "Where does the light come from?" I whispered in awe.

"Mirrors, openings and torches." Kili was normally not that brief in his explanations, it seemed the thrill had finally caught up with him and he took in his surroundings with wide eyes. This was the place that Thorin had told him about since he was a child. I wondered if it matched his expectations.

There was a certain amount of destruction but not as much as one would have expected. Certainly nothing like Lake Town after Smaug's attack.

We slowly made our way to the abandoned houses and Kili took hold of my hand again but instead of feeling reassured I got a good notion of his edginess. "What's the matter?" I grabbed his hand harder. "Sometimes I forget that I can't hide anything from you." he flashed me a quick smile, "There is something that I do not like here. Don't you feel it?"

"Only through you, " I had to admit. "You don't think the dragon has an extended family living here, do you?"

That produced another little smile. "Dragons are solitary creatures. They don't cuddle up around the fire place at night."

"Their loss," I mumbled. "On the other hand, I suppose a family argument could become rather ...heated." It wasn't all that funny but it was good to hear him laugh.

Kili walked through the deserted streets as if he knew what he was doing. "Do you know where we are going?"

"Of course I do!"

Of course he did. "So where are we going?"

"Where everybody else is, to the treasure." He stated the obvious, at least to him.

"And how do you know where the treasure is?"

He tapped his nose with a finger. "I smell it."

"And I believed the great king who once said money doesn't stink."

"I didn't say it stinks, " Kili pointed out, "to a dwarf there is no sweeter smell than that of gold."  
"Really," I drawled. The boy had a lot to learn yet but as usual now was not the time...

Advancing deeper into the Lonely Mountain's belly through a narrow passage way we heard voices and the clinking of what sounded like coin. Lots and lots of coins and yet, the voices were not happy ones.

"It must be here! Look harder!" Thorin Oakenshield was not only very much alive bit livid. The tone of his voice left no doubt that he was not the happy homecoming king one would have thought him to be.

Kili and I exchanged a meaningful look. "He has not found it," Kili murmered.

"What? His sunny disposition?"

"The arkenstone," Kili corrected. "Thorin believes that the clans will only accept him as their superior if he has the gem of power in his possession."

I glanced at our hands still joined. He noticed it and frowned. "What?" "Maybe we should not hit him over the head with the good news just now," I suggested.

"I think you might be right." Kili sighed, "You don't mind?"

"No, I am not ready for a fit of anger right now."

Kili raised my hand to his lips and dropped a kiss on the knuckles before he let go. "We can still run away to some remote country down south," he offered only half jokingly.

"And miss all the fun?"

That was awarded with a kiss full on the mouth. "Don't say later I did not offer." With that he marched on with the air of gladiator entering the arena. Lips tingling from the sudden assault I followed.

The passage made a sharp turn and all of a sudden the light was almost blinding. The vast cavern before us was filled with gold. It was everywhere. Heaps, mountains of gold, coins of gold, goblets of gold, plates, candle holders, ornamental artifacts of gold, precious stones set in necklaces of gold, bracelets, tiaras, trinkets, caskets of gold filled with rubies, emeralds, diamonds and pearls.

The treasure piled up towards the roof of the cavern and dwarfs were digging through it, triggering avalanches of gold and gems in their wake.

We both stood and stared, my mouth hanging open in a very unattractive way. "He wants to find one stone amongst all this?" I said when I was able to speak. Thorin would need the lifespan of an elf and the patience of a saint and I knew he possessed neither.

Kili only shook his head and walked towards his uncle who was stomping over the piles of gold in a rather undignified fashion but Fili saw us first. "Brother!" he yelled from high up on a golden peak.

Thorin twisted around. Pure joy at seeing his nephew alive and well somehow deflated when his eyes found me but he slid down to pull Fili in a fierce hug, beaming happily at the young dwarf.

"You have come just at the right time!" Thorin exclaimed. "We are still looking for the Arkenstone. Now you can help with the search!"

I felt tempted to stick a finger in my ear in an attempt to clean it from whatever it was that distorted my auditory abilities but the way Kili's expression turned from happy to see his uncle unharmed to utter disbelieve at hearing his words, told me nothing was wrong with my ears. That was all the king cared about in a moment like this?

Bilbo and the dwarfs had stopped what they were doing and only the clinking of a few coins rolling down broke the silence.

Thorin released his hold on Kili and turned to them. "Go on! We have work to do!" He yelled at the company and went to set an example. Kili sent me a look that spoke volumes. I could only agree. His uncle must have had a few screws come loose over the last couple of days.

Yet nobody argued and everybody turned back to their appointed portions of treasure to sift through.

I shoved Kili towards is brother who seemed equally troubled by Thorin's behaviour and went to where Bilbo was poking around in a pile of jewellery.

The hobbit greeted me with affection and seemed genuinely pleased to see me again. Unceremoniously I sat down amidst the shiny valuables and inspected some of the priceless goods.

"What is going on?" I asked under my breath, not wanting to draw attention. Bilbo glanced at Thorin uneasily and shrugged. "I am not sure. Since the dragon left he seems to be under a dark spell." The halfling said, his voice barely more than a whisper. "When Fili told him that Smaug was dead he just got more determined to find this blasted stone." He shuffled his naked feet buried in gold then spoke again. "I have heard Gandalf say that the treasure and especially the Arkenstone had driven Thror mad in his time. But the wizard seemed to be certain that Thorin would not suffer from the same weakness. Looks like he might have been wrong."

I watched the dwarfs digging and shoveling. There should have been laughter, songs and a feast not this frantic unhappy search for a bloody stone, no matter how big, shiny and powerful. Had they endured all the hardships and dangers for this? It was not my place to say anything, I was only an extra in this story so I did what everybody else did and dug and delved through gold and kept my eye out for an exceptional gem that would give Thorin Oakenshield the power to rule over his kingdom and hopefully some peace of mind.

Hours passed. Miserable hours during which hardly a word was exchanged. Eventually it was Dwalin who spoke up and demanded a break for the night. Thorin's anger flared but he was met with the company's unanimous refusal to continue before a meal and a rest. "If the bloody thing is here it will still be here in the morning," the fierce warrior barked at his king.

Silently the dwarfs, hobbit and I left Thorin, who would not hear reason and walked back to the empty town. The dwarfs still had a few provisions from Lake Town and dinner was prepared over a hearth in Balin's old residence.

With tears in his eyes the white bearded dwarf ran his hands along the furniture and walls.

"He has lost most of his family when Smaug took the mountain," Fili told me quietly. "Dwalin and he were away that day, that's why they survived."

'Poor, old Balin, to come back to nothing but memories and dust,' I thought and moved closer to Kili.

Tales of what had happened on the mountain and in Lake Town were shared over dinner but the mood did not improve with nothing but death and destruction to talk about and a half crazed king that nobody felt inclined to mention.

Most of the guys were content to stay in Balin's house for the night. Fili, Kili and I decided to look for somewhere else to spend the night and Bilbo asked if he could join us.

We choose a smaller building not too far away and retired to our respective rooms without much further conversation. If Bilbo noticed that Kili and I were a bit closer than usually he did not comment on it but shut the door behind himself with a tired "good night".

Kili lightened a couple of torches in the dreary chamber we had selected and the thought of having him all to myself for the rest of the night had just began to lift my spirits considerably, despite the layers of dust that covered everything, when the door opened again and Fili slipped in.

"We need to talk," he said, offering me an apologetic look.

Just my luck. "I will spend some time in the bathroom," I sighed.

Fili grinned impishly. "I am afraid the plumbing leaves a few things to be desired. Meaning, there is none. But I don't want you to go. I have no secrets from you."

Wow. I sat on the comfy but dusty bed, pushing aside the covers and leaning my back against the headboard, leaving room for Kili to settle down next to me. Dwarf beds were surprisingly big.

Fili stood a bit forlorn in the middle of the room with no other seating accommodation but the floor.

I pointed at the end of the four poster bed. "Don't be shy, hop in!" I dared him, kicked my boots off and pulled up my legs to make space for him. He seemed conflicted by the idea and looked to his brother for support who had already followed my example and nodded. Gingerly Fili lowered his backside onto the outermost corner.

"Ahhhh! Stop impersonating an old spinster and get on the bed! If we are to conspire deep into the night we might as well get comfortable about it." For a second Fili resembled a mouse that had just been introduced to the snake that was going to eat him but then he laughed and did as he was told.

I wrinkled my nose at the sudden combined force of two pairs of dwarf feet that had not been exposed to fresh air for quite a while.

Kili sniggered and wiggled his toes. "It was your idea, so don't complain now!"

I REALLY had to think things through more before opening my mouth.

Fili had allowed himself to relax and I became aware of how tired he looked. "What do you make of Thorin?" he asked his brother who's face became solemn. "I don't know what happened to him," Fili did not wait for an answer, "he would barely greet us when we came and put us to work right away. Then he remembered to ask after you but once he was assured you lived his mind was on the treasure again. When I told him that Smaug was defeated all he said was: 'Good, now the watch can help with the search.' He listened to Bofur's tale about Bard killing the dragon but I don't think it registered. It was creepy."

"He is not the same," Kili's voice carried the load of disappointment he felt with his uncle.

Thorin had not acknowledged me at all, come to think of it, and to be honest it did hurt a bit.

"Gandalf seems to think that this obsession with the Arkenstone runs in the family," I ventured carefully, "how do you feel about it?"

Fili laughed an unhappy little laugh. "I heard rumours that it had a terrible influence on Thror but it was not something the family was happy to discuss. I was too young to remember any of it, we already lived with my father's clan at that time. Maybe one has to see it to understand it's fascination and feel it's power."

"I for one won't mind if the blasted thing stays hidden for all eternity," Kili shared his strong opinion on the matter with us.

"What if Smaug had it with him?" All sorts of things had been wedged between his scales. "If the Arkenstone is the treasure of all treasures wouldn't he want to keep it with him at all times?" I suggested.

"From what I know it is bigger than this," Fili balled his hand into a fist to show us what he meant. "I don't see how he could have done that."

"Pity," I said good bye to the thought.

Fili snorted. "Don't think Thorin would not send us into the lake if he thought the stone was with the dragon!"

"What if we find it? Will that calm him?"

"One can only hope." The heir of Thorin Oakenshield did not even risk a guess.

"What shall we do brother?" Kili was willing to follow Fili no matter what course it would take him.

"We will send word to Lord Dain," the blond had obviously done some thinking on the matter. "The ravens have started to come back to the mountain, like it was told in the prophecy. We have always used them as messengers and we can do so now. News travels fast and before long folk who know Smaug is dead will start to appear on our doorstep, hoping to get their hands on the gold. The handful of us can not hold the mountain on our own. Arkenstone or not, this is our kingdom and Thorin is still our king. The clans will have to accept it. Dalan, what do you say?"

"I?" I echoed witless. Why would he even ask me? "Surely my opinion does not count ...Outch!"

Kili had punched my arm rather painfully.

"My brother begs to differ," Fili grinned and looked at Kili expectantly.

"You insult me by saying your opinion does not count," the dwarf next to me huffed. I punched him back. "And you insult me by thinking I would not back you up, whatever you decide."

"Behave children!" Fili took command again. "Dalan, it is heartwarming to know you put so much trust in my brother's decision making especially since he tends to follow mine but I still want to hear what you think."

I punched Kili once more, just for good measure.

"What was that for?"

"Something stupid you are going to say in the future when I am not close enough to punch you. And don't even pretend it hurt! Now let me talk to the voice of reason in this family!"

Fili shook his head at our display but listened. "You said that Thorin has been like a father to you ever since your real father died. He raised you like his own and personally I think he did a terrific job. You shared his dreams and visions about restoring this kingdom of Erebor to it's former glory and her you are. It is ready to be rebuilt. Thorin may have a few issues right now that may or may not be solved but that only means he needs you more than ever. You probably thought the hardest part would be to defeat the dragon but the hardest part has just begun. It's not over yet and there is no chickening out. And I am with you, for better and for worse, right?"

A pair of blue and a pair of brown eyes were staring at me. Then, fast as a cat, Fili pounced on me, took my face between his hands and placed a big, wet kiss right on my lips before he jumped off the bed, grabbed his boots and was at the door. "Over to you brother, don't disappoint!" And with a wink he was out of the room.

Too stunned to react I had just let it happen and still speechless I turned to Kili who had a decidedly mischievous glint in his eyes. "If it was anyone else I'd say go and wash your mouth but I think I can stomach a little taste of my brother. Besides, an order is an order..." he leaned in and did his best to obey that order.

As kisses became more heated, breathing faster and clothing became less I forgot the dust and the treasure and the worries about the future. The universe shrank to the convenient size of one bed and a population of two and it was good. It was so good!

We fell asleep in each others arms and woke hours later in much the same position. Kili's eyes were still full of sleep but other parts of him eagerly greeted the new day and me. Closing the small gap between us I drew a leg over his thigh and without a moments hesitation he slid into my slick passage, still wet from last night's love making, causing me to inhale sharply as he hit that spot that made me press into him even harder. The friction of his skin on mine when he moved set off tiny electric explosions from my shoulders to my toes and driven like a cat in heat I shamelessly rubbed against him for more of that glorious sensations, all spiraling towards the great final of orgasmic fireworks that left us panting and shuddering.

And sticky and sweaty and caked in a revolting layer of decades of accumulated dust.

"We need water," I declared when the center of speech in my brain no longer refused to function.

"Can I not quench your thirst with kisses?" A reluctant to get out of bed dwarf purred.

"And lick my body clean while your at it?" He dwelled on the thought for a moment but after properly looking over the body in question mentally retreated from the idea.

"We need water," he agreed.

"Well, where is the bath?" "Ehem," Kili scratched his head and clearly did not have the faintest clue.

Hurriedly putting on some clothes he promised to be right back and went to investigate.

Getting dressed over all the muck did not sound very inviting and I helped myself to a woolen shirt and a large overcoat from the wardrobe in the room that would have to do as morning gown until I was proper and prim.

Kili came back, a blond brother in tow. "He can show us," he announced, pointing over his shoulder at a smirking Fili. So there was no bathroom in our chosen residence. Maybe they had public baths, I mused, that kind of seemed to fit. Whatever, it would have to do.

Fili eyed my trappings with a barely suppressed amusement that I nobly ignored because I was thinking ahead. "Do they have towels there?"

He blinked and sucked in his lips to release them with a loud smack. "Not fresh ones for sure."

His voice was a bit more high pitched than usual but he turned on his heel and was out so fast I did not get to comment on it and Kili followed en suite.

The prospect of having a bath made me scurry after them without delay and I got a bit carried away daydreaming on the way. "I seriously do hope that Smaug was not interested in personal hygiene and there is still stuff to wash with? Those products don't really have an expiry date, right? Soap would be heavenly. And shampoo! A little conditioner maybe...I guess scented bath salts are too much to ask for but it would be wonderful..." The brothers had stopped and I heard Fili mumbling something into his beard but all I understood was "bloody Rivendell". Then he took a step to the side and with a grand gesture pointed at a small, slow flowing stream running through the cave.

My dreams of pleasantly soaking at least half an hour in a nice tub collapsed and the pieces floated away with the current of the brook.

"No kidding," I numbly stared at reality. "No soap either," Fili gave his best impression of somebody who actually cared.

"You will come to regret this." The petty need to retaliate rose strongly inside me. He quickly backed away from the water but I had already abandoned the idea of shoving him in for a more practical approach at retribution.

"You will go and find a s many buckets as you can, fill them and take them back to the house!" I snapped. Fili was ready to argue but seeing my scowl thought better of it.

"I'll help you!" Kili chirped in.

"Yes, you will," I agreed, "after you have washed."

Fili traipsed away with the look of a wounded puppy, Kili had resigned himself to his fate. "For better or worse, right?" he winked and undressed. "Or colder."

In the end it wasn't so bad. My toes did not turn to ice, my heart only skipped a few beats and after a few critical moments I was even able to breathe. As fast as possible we scrubbed at the ancient dirt and climbed onto the riverbank shivering and with blue lips but reasonably clean.

Kili stoically put his clothes back on while I frantically I rubbed my limbs with the woolen shirt to encourage my blood circulation to pick up speed. When I looked up Fili was standing there, laden with six empty buckets, staring. He shuffled self consciously but did not look away. Well, neither would I but I pulled the damp jumper over my head and slipped into the overcoat and my boots. Kili did not seem to have a problem with his brother ogling me. An interesting realisation. He took a couple of empty buckets, filled them and trudged dutifully back to the house with me.

"What do you want with all the water, anyway?"

"I will skip on the excitement of digging through mountains of gold all day and am planning on giving the house a good cleaning. If we are to stay there I'd rather not wake up in an icing of dust every day."

"I think I am going to hang around and check out your skills with a broom." Fili had obviously recovered enough from his initial shock at seeing a naked female to be cheeky again.

"Or you hang around and I show you how much fun it is to be smacked on the head with one. Repeatedly." I kindly proposed.

At the house Bilbo was sitting at the kitchen table. He sadly eyed the contents of the buckets. "That's for breakfast?"

He had a point there. "Bilbo, why don't you go and fetch something to eat from the other guys? Those two have yet a lot of buckets to carry if I am to turn this dump into a place where I won't feel like a mummy in it's tomb."

Fili snorted, Kili inspected his fingernails and Bilbo asked: "What's a mummy?"

"Storytime is later!" I clapped my hands and shooed them out. "Off you go and don't dawdle!"

Two dwarf princes and a hobbit obeyed my command. I was impressed with myself.

Now where to begin? A quick exploration of various cupboards and closets revealed a good deal of useful things. Brushes and brooms, rags and even a carpet beater. Not that we had any carpets but I could use it on the heavy blankets on the beds. Some very old fire wood was stacked next to the hearth and I would ask Kili to light it and get some water boiling in the large cauldron that still hung from an iron rod protruding from the rock wall.

I began ripping the sheets and blankets off the beds and threw them on a heap on the kitchen floor, then washed some plates and mugs in one of the buckets and set them to dry on a shelf that had been dusted with a wet cloth.

My three assistants came back together, Bilbo balancing a tray he set on the not yet shiny but much improved kitchen table and we sat. Stale bread and old cheese make a splendid breakfast when one is really hungry.

"The others have already returned to the search," Kili told me, seemingly anxious to join them , "everybody wants to find the Arkenstone as soon as possible."

He received a stern look. "Ten more buckets and you are free to go."

Washing down the rather dry cheese and bread sandwich with water from the stream Fili stood. "Let's move, or Thorin will throw a fit."

Two trips later I was satisfied with the amount of water I had at my disposal and the fire in the hearth.

I hugged the brothers and smiled at Bilbo. "You will thank me for it when you return," I promised. "Now go off and play!"

The brothers filed out of the kitchen. "Does she not remind you of mother sometimes?" I heard Fili ask before the door fell shut. Pity, it would have liked to here Kili's reply to that.

Bilbo did not seem in a hurry to go anywhere. "I thought I could be of more use here..." he looked around the kitchen.

Thinking back of his neat home in Hobbiton I had no objections. "Brilliant thought, Bilbo! Let's get this party started, shall we?"

We scrubbed and rinsed and polished until the little house was as clean as possible under the circumstances. Bedding was drying by the fire and we sat for a moment to admire our hard day's work.

"What I wouldn't give for a civilized cup of tea!" Bilbo closed his eyes and sighed. "Or a good glass of wine and fresh pie!?"

"Anything fresh, really," I agreed sadly. More sighs followed that did nothing to put the desired eat- and drinkables on our depressingly empty table. "Have you got any idea what time it is? How does one keep count of the hours inside a mountain?"

Bilbo shrugged. "I feel like I have lost at least five meals today, that would make it around afternoon. But I have gone without so many meals since we left the Shire, my inner clock may not be accurate anymore."

"Do you think we can sneak out and see if we can find something edible?"

His eyes lit up and I understood that he wanted to see some daylight as much as I did. "It is worth a try."

There was still a little water left over to wash my hands and face again and when I was dressed in my low maintenance but high performance elven gear Bilbo was awaiting me outside the house.

"I don't suppose your little invisibility trick can be extended to me?" I asked him off-handedly.

The poor hobbit froze in his spot and his face fell. "Don't worry," I reassured him, "I am not after your secret and I will take your lack of an answer as a 'no'."

"How did you know?" he asked nervously.

"When the spiders attacked, you were there one second and then you were not. Same happened when the elves captured us."

"Have you told anybody?" Bilbo was as pale and fidgety as I had ever seen him, fumbling with two fingers in the pocket of his vest. He did that a lot I had noticed.

"No, I haven't and I won't. Have no fear."

"It is ….difficult," he stammered looking down on his hairy feet. "I had meant to tell Gandalf but it never seems to be the right moment."

"He also does not seem to be around much," the wizard's prolonged absence was a sore point for me. "It's alright Bilbo, we are all entitled to have a few secrets."

The hobbit glanced at me shyly.

"Don't give me that look," I chided, "that's hardly a secret anymore." He kept looking. "Ok, to some it still is," I admitted.

He opened his mouth to say something but I cut him short. "No need to lecture, I have heard it all!" and his mouth snapped shut but I could practically see the thoughts swirling under his mop of brown curls.

Avoiding the hall with the dwarfs and the treasure we soon stood on the landing outside the main gate. The hobbit's inner clock worked just fine, it appeared to be late afternoon, the shadow of the mountain reaching far over the land before it.

We stalked trough the woods pretending to be experienced hunters and gatherers. Maybe Bilbo actually did know what he was doing but I had no clue. Trying my best to make no sound and scare whatever animal was close by away, I still felt like an elephant galloping through a field of ripe corn. The rabbit I finally stumbled upon must have been deaf and blind but before I had time to second guess my choice of prey it lay dead, pierced by a long arrow. "Sorry, little buddy," I whispered as I picked up my kill by the hind legs. Hunger is a great incentive to overcome one's squeamishness.

Plucking the arrow from the small body I handed the rabbit to Bilbo who was already carrying an armful of leaves that he claimed were edible.

Half an hour later it was getting too dark to see much but we had the rabbit and three grouse like birds to show for. The birds had been easy prey as they just sat around the floor like pumpkins waiting to be picked.

Inside the Lonely Mountain the dwarfs were still busy with the gold, grumpy faces and a very grim Thorin leaving no room for doubt that the search had not been a success so far.


End file.
